Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich was joined today by Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson and Montgomery County
Department of Police (MCPD) leadership to announce the expansion of the MCPD Drone as First Responder Program (DFR) to the Bethesda (2nd District) area.
Since it launched in November 2023, more than 2,000 flights have taken place. The program now covers the 3rd District (downtown Silver Spring), 4th District (Wheaton/Glenmont), 6th District (Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village) and 2nd District (Bethesda).
From the county press release:
“The Drone as First Responder Program represents one of our largest and smartest investments in utilizing technologies to keep our communities safer and our police and first responders safer,” said County Executive Elrich. “This program is part of our ongoing efforts to leverage technology to make our operations more effective and it is a key innovation in public safety.”
Since the DFR launched, it has helped to enhance emergency response capabilities and provide critical support to law enforcement. Drones have been used to help apprehend suspects in shoplifting, robberies and assault incidents and are often the first to arrive on the scene. The average response time is under 90 seconds, and for many calls, drones reach the scene in under one minute.
The DFR program uses unmanned aircraft systems (drones) to respond to 911 calls for service. The live video feed provided by the drone helps officers assess the situation and develop an appropriate response. Drones are not conducting surveillance and are only responding to 911 calls. Montgomery County is the largest police department in the United States to use the technology.
The DFR data dashboard shows that drones are most often deployed in theft and robbery cases. The second highest number of calls is for suspicious persons or vehicles. Drones have also been used to help locate crime suspects, individuals experiencing mental health crises and missing persons.
