An article by Dronelife.com shares:
The city of Palm Springs, California is planning to expand its police department’s current drone program early next year by launching what city officials are calling Drones as First Responders 2.0.
Police Lt. William Hutchinson, manager of the department’s drone operations, said plans call for the department to operate a program involving three drones stationed at different locations in the city, capable of being dispatched to answer 9-1-1 calls, without the need of visual observers (V.O.).
“We will include a radar system with the ability to eliminate the V.O.,” he said. The proposed program, which is still pending the approval of the City Council, is also dependent on gaining authorization from the FAA, allowing beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights.
Complicating its quest to win BVLOS approval is the fact that the city is within the Class D airspace surrounding Palm Springs International Airport. However, Hutchinson does not see this as an impediment.
“Our local airport and local tower are very excited about the program, even though we’re in Class D airspace,” he said. Working in conjunction with the local airport’s operations officials, the police department is developing “a complete package” of safety, and detect-and-avoid mitigation measures to present to the FAA during the application process.
The Palm Springs PD launched its drone program in 2022, with a single Matrice 300 that was dispatched on a call-out basis for missions such as search-and-rescue operations. Currently the department operates a fleet of 15 UAVs, comprising one Matrice 300, two M30s, five M3Ts, three Avata 2s and four Minis.
Soaring to new heights, together.
Be sure to visit the BWU Technology Partnerships Initiative website to learn more about how our NEOFIX program drives economic growth, promotes policy and infrastructure to improve drone safety and efficiency in various industries, and ensures that drone technology is being used responsibly.