The Marble Falls Police Department is exploring a Drone as First Responder pilot program that could give public safety personnel a real-time aerial view of incidents before responders arrive.
The proposed program, a partnership with public safety and surveillance technology firm BRINC and communications corporation Motorola, would provide the department with one drone at no cost to the city, with no obligation to continue the program afterward.
The plan remains under evaluation, and no final decision has been made on whether it will become permanent, Marble Falls Police Chief Trisha Ratliff told the DailyTrib.
“Our goal in evaluating the program is to determine whether that capability provides a meaningful public-safety benefit to Marble Falls while also carefully considering cost, policy, privacy, training, and operational requirements,” Ratliff said.
The remotely-piloted drone would supplement, not replace, police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel or traditional search-and-rescue resources. While the pilot would be provided at no cost to the city, a permanent program could involve additional costs.
Ratliff said the drone could help officers assess scenes, locate individuals, identify hazards and determine what resources may be needed.
The technology could also assist fire and EMS personnel by locating patients in difficult terrain, identifying the location or extent of a fire, searching for missing or endangered people and providing aerial support during water rescues and other emergency operations.
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