In Huntington Beach, Drones Will Soon Replace Police Officers as First-Response Option for 911 Calls

In one California city, drones will soon replace police officers as first-response option for 911 calls

When people in Huntington Beach call 911 to report a crime, the first responder who urgently speeds to the scene may soon not be human. Starting in a few weeks, that first responder might be a drone.

In Huntington Beach, drones will soon replace police officers as first-response option for 911 calls

When people in Huntington Beach call 911 to report a crime, the first responder who urgently speeds to the scene may soon not be human. Starting in a few weeks, that first responder might be a drone. Huntington Beach police will use drones, beginning Sept. 13, to respond to some calls as part of a trend across the country called the Drones as First Responders Program. Police say the unmanned aerial vehicles will slash response times, as they typ…

New Huntington Beach police drones can respond to emergencies in 2 minutes

The Huntington Beach Police Department has a new first responder: a drone. By deploying from rooftop docks, the Drone as First Responder program — otherwise known as DFR — is expected to allow police to respond to an emergency in two minutes or less, the department said. Unlike the current drone program, these new devices will be operated remotely, making response times even shorter than the typical five minutes for officers now. For those conce…

Huntington Beach police to fly drones to reduce response time

The Huntington Beach Police Department is aiming to shorten its response time to crime scenes or emergency situations by sending drones first before officers get there.   Starting on Sep. 13, when a 911 call is received, the police department will send the flying devices in the first-of-its-kind program in Orange County. If a burglary is reported, for example, the drone pilot can enter the address and send the drone to the specific location. “We…

Huntington Beach police to start deploying drones for emergency response

The program is strictly for emergency response and is not for surveillance, police said.