Brookhaven Police's drone program to soar to new heights

Brookhaven police drone program to expand

Brookhaven Police have been using drones as part of their emergency response strategy for several years. Now, that program is getting a major upgrade.

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. - When someone calls 911 in Brookhaven, the first responder to get to the scene often isn’t an officer on the ground — it’s a drone in the air.

What we know:

Brookhaven Police have been using drones as part of their emergency response strategy for several years. Now, that program is getting a major upgrade.

"The faster you can get to a scene, the more information you can start gathering," said Sgt. Sam Jones with the Brookhaven Police Department. "There's been instances where we've actually caught crimes occurring in progress."

Launched in 2020, the department’s drone program has quickly become an integral part of its operations. The department says drones now arrive on scene within an average of 70 seconds and are the first to arrive 72% of the time.

Police say the drone unit has improved emergency response times, boosted situational awareness, and increased officer safety.

Following what the department describes as strong success with the existing program, Brookhaven city leaders voted last month to expand it. 

The number of drones is doubling from four to eight; launch sites are also doubling from two to four.

The new drones are equipped with updated technology and will be deployed across the city within FAA-approved parameters.

The drones are capable of capturing clear images of faces and license plates, helping officers solve cases at all hours. They’re also integrated into the city’s real-time operations center.

What they're saying:

"As an officer, the more information you have going to a call, the better you're going to be," Jones said.

The upgraded drones are expected to be fully operational next month.

"The programs that we have in place here are a deterrent for crime," Jones said. "You know, a criminal's going to look at, come into Brookhaven and say, hey, why would I go to Brookhaven and commit a crime whenever I can go elsewhere where I'm not going to get caught with a camera, where I'm not going to get caught with a drone."

Police also emphasized the importance of privacy, saying drones are only deployed in response to 911 calls.

"We're not out randomly patrolling," Jones said. "This isn't a proactive form of enforcement, if you will. This is a completely reactionary tool that we're using for calls — 911 calls that are coming in."