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Cassie Franklin
Mayor | Everett, WA

Drone as First Responder

Idea Category: 2025 Ideas Challenge, Technology & Government

2025 Ideas Challenge Entry

The city police department is launching an innovative public safety program called Drone as First Responder (DFR). The program deploys drones from rooftop docking stations to emergency calls, arriving faster than patrol officers. The initiative aims to improve response times, enhance situational awareness, and address law enforcement staffing shortages.

While priority calls typically take about six minutes to reach, drones can arrive in 80–90 seconds. This rapid response improves officer and public safety by providing real-time aerial footage, enabling dispatchers and officers to make informed decisions, and in some cases, resolving incidents remotely without a physical officer on site. The program also optimizes existing resources and integrates new technology into traditional response models, modernizing its public safety approach, while addressing community concerns around privacy and transparency.

Impact or how it will be measured:

One of the primary goals with this program is to leverage technology to increase efficiency, increase the safety of our officers and community, and reduce crime. The city’s Police Department tracks response times which we are hoping the DFR program will show a reduction in response times, specifically for priority one calls for service. The software will also keep data on the number of calls for service that are resolved without officers responding in person. Using historical data, the city will be able to see if the DFR program is able to lower crime rates.