By Greg Garrison
al.com
BIRMINGHAM — The Birmingham Police Department will soon be responding to crimes by air, after the City Council approved $1.5 million to buy drones for police use.
“There’s a necessity to incorporate the latest technology in delivering public safety,” said Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn, after the council approved the purchase on Tuesday.
The city will spend $1,506,300 million to buy 16 drones and related equipment from SkyfireAI, of Huntsville, Alabama, for use by the Birmingham Police Department.
Other cities are already using drones to help police do their jobs, O’Quinn said.
“They have significantly reduced the calls for service by utilizing drones,” O’Quinn said. “The drone can be deployed to the area in most cases before the police officer can get to that location. There can be eyes on the scene to start an assessment of what’s going on and perhaps it could be the case a police officer isn’t even needed.”
The city’s purchase includes 16 DJI M4TD model Aircraft, 16 batteries and charging equipment, 16 dock licenses and remote pilot equipment.
“This is going to help us deliver effective and efficient public safety but it’s going to also make conditions better for our law enforcement officers,” O’Quinn said. “They’ll have eyes in the sky to assess the situation before they ever get there and even while they’re on the scene these drones can potentially be equipped with technology that augments their ability to know what’s going on around them.”
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