Yonkers Police unveiled a new program Friday which will deploy remote-operated drones as a means of first response for emergency calls across the city.
Yonkers Police deployed one of two new remote-operated drones from its launch pad at the Yonkers Department of Parks and Recreation on Nepperhan Avenue, as part of the official launch of the Drone as a First Responder program.
‘From crimes in progress to missing persons and other emergencies, these drones give our first responders as much information as possible before they arrive on scene, helping officers assess situations faster, deploy resources more effectively, and respond more safely,” said Sgt. Frank DiDomizio.
Drones able to respond to emergency scenes in three minutes
Yonkers Police said the two drones, manufactured by Nokia and run on Motorola Solutions CAPE software, would be stationed on rooftops across the city on standby; one on the east side of the city and one on the west side. The drones will be flown by trained personnel from the Pelham-based Westchester Drone Ops to report any emergency or arrive before first responders.
Each drone is able to move at speeds of up to 45 miles an hour and could arrive at any scene in the city in up to three minutes.
A reenactment video shown at a Friday news conference showed the drone responding to a call of a possibly suicidal resident on a building roof, with operators from Westchester Drone Ops manning the machines from police department headquarters.
Officers can communicate with first responders on the ground via radio but can also see live video feeds prior to arriving at the scene via internet through laptop or smartphone.
The drone video and audio feed will be able to assess the scene and provide first responders with necessary information such as the safety conditions and risk threat of the area, or what kind of response the emergency needs.
“We all know that in an emergency, seconds matter, and that’s what this is all about,” said Mayor Mike Spano at the conference. “Giving our law enforcement the ability to make split second decisions to know firsthand when they get to a scene, actually what’s happening at the scene.”
The Drone as a First Responder program was first tested in Yonkers during an eight-week testing program from July 8 to August 31, 2024.
Drone flights reported publicly amid privacy concerns
In response to privacy concerns, Yonkers Police said they will continue to track and publish every drone flight with a flight log that will be public on the police department website.
Yonkers Police said the drones will only be used during an active response to an emergency or call for police assistance. While inactive, Mayor Spano said the cameras will remain forward facing towards the horizon, rather than down towards the city.
“We have demonstrated that it is possible to leverage advanced technology to reduce crime, apprehend offenders and improve public safety, while also protecting the privacy of the people who live in this city,” said Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza.
Drone officers are prohibited from “intentionally recording or transmitting images of any location where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as inside private buildings, except where authorized by a warrant issued by a judge or in emergency situations,” Yonkers Police said on its website.
The program will initially operate on a 40-hour weekly schedule, with deployment days and hours adjusted for major events and operational needs, DiDomizio said in a news release Friday. The drones are set to begin operations as early as Saturday, March 14.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Inside Yonkers Police’s citywide Drone as a First Responder program
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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