There’s a new feature atop the Omaha Police Department’s downtown headquarters. Two drones sit within climate-controlled containers on the roof, ready for deployment in the city’s busiest precincts.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer and Mayor John Ewing announced the launch of the unmanned aerial vehicles Thursday as key equipment in the city’s new “Drones as First Responders” program. The public safety initiative uses high-tech drones to assess emergency scenes ahead of police arrival.
“This program is about getting there faster. How can we get there faster to help people? How can our response improve?” Schmaderer said.
The drones will respond to specific 911 calls, arriving at a scene in under two minutes. They’ll provide real time aerial footage to help officers assess their response and provide dispatchers situational awareness but won’t be used for random neighborhood surveillance.
Each launch will be handled by an FAA- certified pilot working from the department’s Air Support Unit in Blair. Nearly $2 million for the program was raised through philanthropic donations. No taxpayer dollars were used to purchase the drones.
Omaha Mayor John Ewing emphasized that the drones would be deployed only in response to 911 calls.
“This will not be utilized for general surveillance, or patrols and neighborhoods, or any of those type of things that sometimes people get worried about when they think about technology,” Ewing said. “This is 911 generated responding to someone’s call for help, and that is the most important thing that the police department does.”