Expanding the Drone as First Responder program

On June 26, County Councilmembers Balcombe, Katz and Luedtke sponsored an UpCounty meeting on the Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program. Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Captain Jason Cokinos explained the DFR program and its successes so far in Wheaton and Silver Spring. The  councilmembers were thankful to champion expansion of the program to incorporate Gaithersburg, Montgomery Village and parts of Germantown.

Cokinos said the average response time for the drone was 49 seconds, compared to the 2-minute average 911 call time before an officer is dispatched. He noted the drone is able to provide more on-scene information that helps officers better assess and work on active crime scenes. In the current deployment zones, the DFR has assisted in more than 900 calls and in 675 of those calls, it was first on the scene.

He said the drones are only flown to calls in-progress with a suspect on scene; rescue calls (missing person in progress); vehicular accidents; or situations to aid in life safety. Cokinos was quick to point out that the drones are not used in surveillance and do not contain facial recognition or audio interception software; they only record video once on an active scene.

Cokinos said the footage captured is encrypted and treated similarly to body camera footage. The drones are DJI Matrice 350 RTK models, which Cokinos explained is the best technology currently available for this use. He said MCPD is constantly evaluating new models and would transition if/when a suitable replacement is available and necessary, being mindful of cybersecurity concerns.

MCPD is looking to finalize the location for the UpCounty DFR in the coming weeks, with a location central to Montgomery Village and Gaithersburg, and which is also able to maximize service to Germantown. Pending the securing of a launch site, MCPD hoped to proceed with next steps of the program and be up and running in mid-July.

More information, including flight maps and data can be found on the Drone as First Responder program webpage.