|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… |
The Kent Police Department (KPD) plans to potentially implement a Drone First Responder program (DFR) in 2027.
There are still several steps necessary in order for this program to be implemented, however the KPD has been researching the technology for the past two years.
Additionally, the city’s police department has utilized drones as a part of its operations for many years. However, the difference between how the department has historically used drones and this new technology, is the placement of the officer.
As of now, the officer must be on scene operating the drone and keep the device in their physical line of sight. With DFR, the officer has the ability to launch the drone from a remote location.
This allows for first responders in a safe, remote location to use footage from a drone responding to a 911 call before the first responders themselves arrive at the scene.
At a City Council workshop on Aug. 18, Kent Police Cmdr. Josh Bava gave a briefing on DFR.
Bava explained the invention of 911 calls and how that was monumental for policing. Citizens are able to call, provide information to first responders and then responders will respond to the scene accordingly. DFR could possibly have a similar monumental effect.
“This may be an evolution of that where the police gather additional information beyond what the 911 caller has provided and then officers have that information before they actually arrive as well,” he said.
The biggest difference between KPD’s current drone program and DFR is the drone’s place in response. Instead of being a secondary responder or tactical tool, the drone becomes a first or parallel responder.
A distinction that Bava made in the presentation was that the drone would still be operated by a human and not by artificial intelligence (AI).
“It’s not an autonomous AI driven thing. It’s an officer remotely flying that drone to the scene and gathering that information,” said Bava.
KPD has been offered an opportunity by Skydio, a drone manufacturer headquartered in San Mateo, California, to implement DFR at no cost to the department.
Skydio has offered a pilot program where it would supply four drones for one month before KPD chooses to implement DFR permanently. KPD is considering the Skydio model X10 which has a max flight speed of 45 mph with a flight time of 40 minutes.
Bava commented on the pilot program and how KPD would use this period to understand DFR to a better extent.
“We would…be collecting data and information on how that changes our response to calls, any positive outcomes, what exactly we’re doing with the drone, the number of flights we’ve done, the dates and times. Our intent would be to publish that publicly,” he said.
Kent Police officers would need to complete training on the differences between flying drones as they do now and operating them remotely. Additionally, the KPD as a whole must receive the appropriate license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate the drones beyond the officers’ visual line of sight.
The presentation from KPD listed the four goals that the department hopes to achieve if this program is approved by the mayor and council. According to KPD, the goals are:
• Reduce response times to both high and medium priority calls
• Reduce the number of calls that require an in-person response from an officer
• Reduce uses of force and vehicular pursuits
• Deploy drone assets to all major emergency management incidents
The American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington chapter (ACLU-WA) provided a statement on the use of drones in such a capacity by police departments.
“We would need to review the specifics behind this proposal, but without proper regulation, drones pose a serious threat to people’s privacy and civil liberties,” said Tee Sannon, technology policy program director for the ACLU-WA. “They can carry multiple surveillance tools that capture data about people and their movements without their knowledge or consent, which could potentially chill free speech and impinge on people’s free association rights.”
Skydio states that its drones delete non-evidentiary data within 60 days, which aligns with the KPD’s current policy.
“For law enforcement agencies seeking to use tools like drones, the use must be carefully regulated to minimize these threats from surveillance, such as by placing strict limits on what data they can collect, how long it can be retained, how it can be used, and who it can be shared with,” Sannon said.
Other police agencies in Washington state have or are considering DFR programs. Bellevue Police plan to launch a pilot program this fall with Skydio, according to a Sept. 9 post on the city’s website. Redmond Police launched a DFR program with Skydio in 2024, according to the city’s website. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office started a DFR program this week.
Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla commented on the possibility of implementing the drone first response program in 2027.
“I anticipate making a formal request to Mayor (Dana) Ralph to implement this program as part of the police department’s 2027/2028 biennial budget request,” Padilla said. “If she approves it, the mayor would include the DFR program as part of her budget to the city council. The city council would then decide whether to approve the funding for the program.”
None of this has happened yet as KPD is still in the preliminary stages of the process, however Bava’s presentation to the council was important. The city council will vote on the proposed budget in November.
