Setback
A Boston police Brinc Responder drone fell from the sky onto a parked car six days after the city announced its pilot program. No one was hurt and no cause had been given.
A delay, pause or setback
What the source says
“The crash came six days after the Boston Police Department announced its Drone as First Responder pilot.”
What it means
Drones as first responders, from Skydio, Flock Safety, Brinc, Axon, is at stage 5 of 5 on our ladder: regulator-cleared or mass market. A setback stays on the record next to the milestones; the stage moves down only when the rules say so.
Human help: People working remotely can steer it or take over.
More on Drones as first responders
- Lakeland, Florida's city commission approved a ten-year, $22 million Axon agreement that adds docked drones (drones launched from a base station) to police body cameras, TASERs and software.
- Lakeland, Florida, bought drone-as-first-responder flights (police drones sent to emergency calls) as part of a 10-year, $21.98 million Axon contract that also covers body cameras and in-car video.
- A Boston police drone (a Brinc Responder) fell onto a parked Mazda in Brighton, damaging the rear windshield and trunk; no injuries were reported.
- Chula Vista, California, the department that started this kind of program, had passed 25,000 drone flights and publishes a map of every mission.
- Privacy groups such as the EFF warn that these drones can film people from distances where they do not know they are being watched.
- FAA records show it gave more than 1,000 public safety agencies waivers to fly drones beyond the pilot's line of sight, at or below 200 feet, or up to 400 feet with systems that detect other aircraft.