Latest news with #DFR
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Grand Chute Police Department first to adopt drones into their new first responder program
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WFRV) – The Grand Chute Police Department has added a new fleet to their squad, becoming the state's first Drone as First Responder program (DFR). Early results of the program are positive and have become a key way for the officers to assess a call. Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis provides details on local immigration enforcement policies 'Not only can we respond quicker, we can provide that information back to the officers to aid in their response,' Captain David Maas said. 'But it also gives the officers more information to act upon when on a call.' Officers must get certification to use the drones. Once certified, officers may fly the drones from the station to see the progress of the call and how many officers will be needed. 'This helps with resource utilization and management. We can use the drone to identify what needs an officer to respond,' Captain Maas said. '[We can determine] how many officers might be required based upon what we see through the drone feed.' After having the drones out and responding to calls, many within the department are reportedly pleased with the early data, seeing fewer officers going out on calls they normally would have without the assistance from drones. Two Rivers K9 helps find suspect of high-speed pursuit that spanned 3 Wisconsin counties 'I was able to utilize the drone to go find that suspicious vehicle, I found that person,' Lieutenant Mike Lichtensteiger said. 'Turns out that person was doing nothing wrong; it prevented an officer's response, so officers didn't even respond to that call.' The department is hoping to add another drone, allowing them to use that one to assist on calls on the south side of the city. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Tools and technology: ‘Drone as a First Responder' piloted in Lenexa
LENEXA, Kan. — Police in Lenexa are using innovative tools and technology to keep officers and the community safe when responding to emergency calls. The 'Drone as a First Responder' program was introduced to Lenexa in March. It's being added to the department's already existing drone fleet. 'Right now, we believe we are the first in the Kansas City Metro to establish a 'Drone as a First Responder Program,'' Officer Danny Chavez said. Lenexa resident finds bobcat kitten sheltering inside home during recent storm It supplies eyes on the scene before officers arrive. The collaboration is with the Lenexa Fire Department, and it's used within 'any call' where responders think a difference could be made. Drones, though, aren't new to Lenexa, but having one be deployed remotely is. 'We can get a drone over the scene minutes before an officer arrives and feed real-time information to our dispatchers and our officers,' Officer Danny Chavez with Lenexa PD shared. So far, success has been seen; it's shortened response times. 'We've seen two minutes shaved off our response time,' Chavez said in reference to emergency response calls. There has also been a reduction in response times, on average, by four minutes with non-emergency calls, too. From March to May, this specific drone has been used nearly 130 times. 'That was from everything from a suspicious person wandering in the area, that we wanted to check out before officers got on scene, to car crashes and disturbances and active thefts, etc.' Man charged in connection with death of Platte County sports reporter shot on I-29 You can see, highlighted in yellow, when this DFR (Drone as a First Responder) drone was deployed during recent emergency calls. There will be an amendment to the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program to include the Drone as a First Responder Program and an agreement with Paladin Drones, Inc. 'The Drone as a First Responder Drone, we've just been piloting one over the last couple of months, and we were just approved by the governing body here in Lenexa to purchase six more.' There will be seven total of this kind operating in Lenexa. You can read the June 3 Lenexa City Council agenda here. 'The 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program needs to be amended to add funds for the first year of the full implementation of the Drone as First Responder (DFR) Program, which is $300,535. Annual maintenance costs for years two through five are $173,700 and will be paid from the Police Department's operating budget. The total five-year cost is $995,335,' a Lenexa City Council document reads. Over the next few months, the additional six drones will be stationed throughout the city, having a home base, and making sure the community is covered. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNBC
10-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
7. Flock Safety
Founders: Garrett Langley (CEO), Paige Todd, Matt Feury, Bailey QuintrellLaunched: 2017Headquarters: Atlanta, GeorgiaFunding: $957.5 million (PitchBook)Valuation: $7.5 billion (PitchBook)Key Technologies: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, edge computing, machine learning, Internet of ThingsIndustry: Public safety, defensePrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 0 Flock Safety, a police tech company from Atlanta, kicked off intense competition in the crime-fighting business this year. Flock Safety sells surveillance technology, including light-post mounted cameras, license plate reading systems, and drones, to police departments, private sector companies and communities concerned about crime. Flock Safety says its technology was used in 10% of all successful crime investigations in the country, and in the successful recovery of more than 1,000 missing persons. Recently, its system was used to help find a missing person with dementia in Indianola, Iowa, after an alert from a license plate camera. In another success story, Flock helped track down an armed man in New Mexico, who was wanted on suspicion of a shooting in Oklahoma. Flock has a new coffer to help its growth: It recently announced a $275 million round and 2024 revenue of $300 million, a 70% year-over-year increase. With investors including Tiger Global, a16z, and Matrix Partners, Flock Safety's scale and growth position it for an IPO within the next few years. In October 2024, Flock Safety acquired Aerodome, a pioneer in DFR technology for aerial surveillance; it plans to build a 100,000 square foot drone manufacturing facility in Atlanta. It is not just police departments using the technology. Flock Safety says it now works with seven of the 10 largest shopping malls in the U.S., and 10 out of 40 of the largest U.S. health-care providers. It continues to add customers from the public sector, last year bringing on major U.S. cities and state agencies as new customers, including Hempstead, NY, San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; and the California Highway Patrol. The established player in its industry is Axon, a publicly held company founded in 1993. With annual revenue over $2 billion and America's highest-paid CEO, according to a recent Wall Street Journal analysis, Axon is known for its Taser technology. But Axon is now following Flock Safety's lead, recently announcing that it is adding light post-hung video surveillance cameras and drones. It also announced a new collaboration with Amazon's camera company Ring. The competition may come down to which company – others compete in the space as well, including Verkada, a Silicon Valley startup with a valuation of $4.5 billion, according to PitchBook – can spread the widest and easiest-to-use surveillance net that integrates information across public and private sectors and across America's fractured municipal police system.
CBS News
31-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Man dies after house fire in Northwest Dallas, fire department says
A man has died following an early morning house fire in Northwest Dallas, authorities said Saturday. According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, at about 4:45 a.m., crews were called to a structure fire at a home in the 3000 block of Sumter Drive. When firefighters arrived, they witnessed fire coming from the front door of the home and received a report that someone may be inside. DFR said after deploying hand lines and forcing entry to conduct a search and rescue operation, a man was found unresponsive near the entrance of the home. DFR said firefighters worked quickly and pulled the victim from the home, however, he was pronounced dead at the scene. At this time, the victim's name has not been released. Firefighters continued to work to extinguish the blaze, and it was out just before 6 a.m. DFR said the cause of the fire is under investigation and will be listed as undetermined until those results are completed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WFPD grant submitted for self-deploying drone in Wichita Falls
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) —The Wichita Falls Police Department could be getting some much-needed help added to the force, and in the form of technology. Public Information Officer for the WFPD, Sergeant Brett Keith, stated that they've applied for a grant for a new Aero Dome DFR, also known as a Drone as a First Responder, a self-deploying drone. Wichita Falls airport aims to guide future development The DFR, if purchased, would be housed in an undisclosed location, most likely in the central part of the city. Sergeant Keith said the drone will be connected to their dispatch and can deploy on its own before being taken over by a drone certified officer, the purpose is to respond to active scenes which Keith said would take on average about 86 seconds to respond, with multiple benefits not only for the officers but for civilians as well. 'The majority of the time, there's going to be a couple minutes for officers make it to the scene. So being able to get eyes on a scene before maybe a suspect leaves or gain, crucial evidence that could be used for prosecution to benefit the community. Is why I think we're looking at going this direction,' Keith said Sergeant Keith said multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have already started utilizing this type of technology. There is still no word on the price tag of the DFR or when the department will know if they have received the grant, but be sure to stick with us as we bring you more information on this once it becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
