Gwinnett County Police debut Drone First Responder program at 2 precincts

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police launched a new Drone First Responder program this week to reach emergency scenes faster and give responding officers an immediate aerial view.

Faster police emergency response

What they're saying:

Emergency calls across parts of Gwinnett County may now see a camera in the sky arrive well before patrol vehicles pull up to the curb.

The department rolled out the Drone First Responder program at its North and Central precincts.

"When deployed, these drones will often arrive to scenes before officers, providing an aerial view of the scene and a better understanding of what's going on while officers are still in route," Cpl. Angela Carter said.

The department integrated the two new aircraft directly into its computer-aided dispatch system to screen active emergencies.

When a call comes in, a police analyst evaluates the situation and decides whether the incident meets the drone's launch criteria.

Officials emphasized the equipment will not be used for routine patrol. Instead, police will send them out exclusively for active calls for service, such as in-progress burglaries.

Equipment costs and capability

By the numbers:

Police spent $272,000 to purchase the initial pair of specialized drones. Each drone can operate within a 3-mile radius and stay airborne for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

The units took flight three times during their first day of service on Thursday, including a response to a report of suspicious activity.

"The drone was able to get to that location within seconds and able to zoom in and actually see that the door was broken," Carter said. "They were also able to see while they were there that there was nobody coming in and out of the property either."

Public privacy protections addressed

What they're saying:

Police said the remote aircraft will supplement their longstanding aviation unit, which will continue handling patrols.

The program joins other departments across metro Atlanta, such as Brookhaven Police and Cobb County Police, that have implemented similar initiatives. 

Addressing potential public privacy concerns, officials stressed that flight teams must follow Constitutional protections.

"This new technology doesn't prevent us or make us less obligated to follow the Fourth Amendment," Carter said. "We are not going to be viewing into people's private residences or anywhere in the curtilage that necessarily wouldn't need to be a search warrant."

What's next:

These two devices represent the opening phase of the department's program. Police officials said they may eventually add more drones to its fleet.