The use of drones by local law enforcement agencies in Colorado is set to increase significantly, with several departments planning to dispatch the devices instead of officers in response to certain types of 911 calls. This move is seen as a significant shift in policing methods and is expected to become more common in other parts of the United States in the future.
At present, at least 20 law enforcement agencies across Colorado’s Front Range are using drone technology for various tasks such as searching for missing people, tracking fleeing suspects, mapping crime scenes or providing overhead surveillance during SWAT operations. Now, some departments are considering using drones to respond to certain types of 911 calls in situations where the devices can provide useful information from an incident location before officers are dispatched.
Sending drones to calls that require less urgency could allow for police officers to prioritize more pressing calls. This approach, which is already being used by a few law enforcement agencies outside of Colorado, such as Chula Vista, California, can help conserve resources and reduce the risk of unnecessary confrontations with individuals on the scene.
While drone technology offers numerous benefits to law enforcement agencies, concerns have been raised about how its normalization could impact people’s freedoms. Laura Moraff, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Colorado, expressed her worry that the widespread use of drones by government agencies might change the way people speak and protest if they are constantly being surveilled by law enforcement officials.
To address these concerns, the Denver Police Department (DPD), which had previously shelved its only drone in 2018 due to constitutional concerns, is now looking to expand its drone program using a $100,000 grant from the Denver Police Foundation. The DPD aims to create a public-facing dashboard that will allow residents to track police drone flights and ease concerns about potential violations of personal freedoms.
Phil Gonshak, director of the department’s Strategic Initiatives Bureau, emphasized that deploying drones as first responders would not replace human officers on the scene but instead help them prioritize their resources more effectively. In cases where a drone can assess an incident and determine that there is no need for immediate police intervention, it could enable officers to be rerouted to other emergent calls.
The increasing use of drones in law enforcement is expected to continue as technology advances and public concerns about privacy are addressed. By utilizing this innovative technology, police departments can improve their efficiency and better serve the communities they protect.
