COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Imagine knowing where a suspect is and what they’re doing, before police ever get to a scene.
That’s the reality now for Commerce City Police Department, after the July launch of the "Drones as First Responder" (DFR) program.
It’s the first of its kind in the state, with other police departments expected to follow, including Castle Rock.
Four drones are placed on top of government buildings across Commerce City, according to Patrol Support Bureau Commander Jeremy Jenkins.
“About six years, we've had a mobile drone program, and that program allowed our officers in the field to have a smaller drone in the car with them that could be deployed at any given time,” Commander Jenkins said. “What we've done is we've upgraded our systems to drone as first responder or DFR program, and the likeness is we've been riding a bike for a long time, and we've upgraded to driving a Maserati.”
Jenkins and Real Time Crime Center and Drone First Responder Sergeant Rick Irwin showed Denver7 how the drones work.
“I can either type in an address manually through Google Map, or if we have an address, or if we just have a general location, I can drop a pin,” Sgt. Irwin said, while sitting behind a desk.
Once the drone is told the address, within seconds it’s 200 feet in the air and blocks away.
“Anytime we have a high-risk incident occurring, we can get the drones in the air and get them there first while officers are still responding, and that gives us real time information and a real time view of what's going on with that incident that allows us to better approach and better handle that situation,” Commander Jenkins said.
The duo said it saves resources and keeps the public and officers safe.
The example they shared was a felony arrest made three days after the start of the program.
“Our flock camera systems alerted us to a stolen vehicle that had passed by, and we were able to get a drone in the air,” Commander Jenkins said.
In a video released by the department, it shows an aerial view of a man in a red shirt riding a motorcycle.
“At one point, I mean, the guy on the motorcycle was looking around for police on the ground, seeing if we're following them and I'm behind them, watching them,” Sgt. Irwin said.
He explained this allow other officers to hold off on a potentially dangerous high speed chase, but still gather information to make a safe arrest.
"After the arrest, he was found to be in large quantities of both heroin and methamphetamine distribution level amounts, as well as a stolen handgun," Commander Jenkins said. "We’re always looking for ways to, number one, increase the safety for the public. For the level of service that we provide to the citizens of Commerce City. The DFR program not only does that for us, but also allows us to increase officer safety."
The DFR program costs about $150,000 a year.
Our partners at the Denver Post report the state’s largest city, Denver, does not have this implemented yet. However, a spokesperson for the Denver Police Department told the Denver Post, “it is being developed.”
“The program is likely to develop in phases over the next couple of years,” the statement said. “We are hoping to have a pilot program running in a few months’ time.”
