Fulton sheriff's office deploys drone to patrol for contraband
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The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has introduced its Drone-as First-Responder program. Photos: Courtesy of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office is partnering with Atlanta-based Flock Safety to roll out a Drone-as-First-Responder system.
Why it matters: The program, which the sheriff's office said is the first to launch at a local jail, is the latest example of law enforcement agencies turning to technology to perform tasks traditionally done by officers.
The latest: The sheriff's office said the drone will be used for security and to prevent contraband from coming into the Rice Street Jail.
- The company's Aerodome DFR system was acquired through private donations from the Fulton County Sheriff's Foundation, said Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin.
How it works: The drone can be deployed within a 4-mile radius from its dock on the jail's roof. Its average response time is 85 seconds, the sheriff's office said in a press release.
- Aerial footage will be recorded in real time, which allows FCSO to improve "perimeter security and reduce risk to both our team staff and those in custody," the agency said.
- Beilin told Axios the drones also have thermal imaging capabilities.
What they're saying: Sheriff Pat Labat said in a release that using the drone is a "forward-looking opportunity to strengthen jail security and modernize how we protect both our facility and the surrounding community."
State of play: Labat told Axios in February that drones are a "pervasive" problem and are responsible for roughly 60% of the contraband coming into Rice Street.
- A bill introduced during the legislative session would make it illegal to fly drones or other unmanned aircraft over prisons and jails (law enforcement would be excluded from the bill).
- It's awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Friction point: As departments include technology as part of policing, some privacy advocates have raised concerns about surveillance and how agencies will handle the data they collect.
- Beilin told Axios Flock's drones have a limited flight time and when they are dispatched, their cameras face toward the horizon until they reach the targeted location.
- Each agency using the Flock drone will also have a dashboard where the public can view information such as which calls the drone responded to and its flight path.
- "We think that's really important for that level of accountability," Beilin said.
Zoom out: Other metro Atlanta police agencies are also using drones to respond to calls for service.
- Brookhaven police in late 2020 launched its program, and Dunwoody Police Department last year also began using Flock Safety's drones to respond to 911 calls.
- The Sandy Springs Police Department told Axios it's in the demo phase of using Skydio's drone-as-first-response program.