Drones
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.
A dated step forward on the record
What the source says
“On October 5 the city commission approved a ten-year, $22 million Axon agreement that adds docked drones to a bundle of body cameras, TASERs and software.”
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. Its stage is set by other milestones on its record; this one adds to the history.
Human help: People working remotely can steer it or take over.
More on Drones as first responders
- 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 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 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.