Agency name: Scottsdale (Ariz.) Police Department
Agency size: 400 sworn, 300 professional staff employees
Population served: About 244,000 residents, plus 13-15 million annual visitors
Date DFR program launched: August 2024
Typical calls DFR responds to: In-progress crimes, structure fires, medical emergencies, traffic stops, traffic collisions and more
The challenge
Designing a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program that fits Scottsdale, Arizona’s size, terrain and airspace wasn’t just a technical project — it was a strategic one. The city stretches across 185 square miles and includes everything from dense urban areas to mountainous preservation land.
“The operating area of one DFR is going to be about six miles across or a three-mile radius,” explained Scottsdale PD Assistant Chief of Police Rich Slavin. That scale alone made coverage and site selection a critical part of the planning process.
Add FAA-regulated airspace and it became clear early on that a one-size-fits-all model wouldn’t cut it. But Scottsdale PD wasn’t starting from scratch. The department had been flying drones in tactical settings since 2014. However, launching a DFR program with the goal of eventually scaling to 24/7 coverage required new policies, additional staffing and upgraded technology infrastructure.
In August 2024, Scottsdale became the first department in Arizona approved to operate a DFR program under the FAA’s Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver, using the Flock Safety Aerodome platform.
“There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that and it shouldn’t be something that is done part-time,” Slavin said. “If you’re going to do it, you should build the system to do it right.”
The solution
Scottsdale PD’s approach is purpose-built around a call-for-service model. “We’re not out there using the drone searching for crime,” Slavin said. “It’s only responding to a call for service. Our policy dictates that.”
The program includes:
- Deployment only in response to verified calls
- Camera facing forward until arrival at the call location
- Full flight documentation, all available via public records requests
That transparency and clarity paid off. “When we went live with the DFR operation, we actually did a press conference,” Slavin said. “Overwhelmingly positive [response] … I can’t even think of one negative comment.”
DFR flights are managed by FAA-certified drone pilots whose sole focus is flying. “We train our pilots and they’re certified through the FAA, but then we also have a restrictive policy around how that technology is used,” Slavin said. “We’re very transparent about the programming that we do.”
| LEARN HOW: Scottsdale PD’s RTCC keeps special events under control
In the video below, listen to how the Scottsdale Police Department is using its DFR program to increase officer safety, reduce response times and optimize patrol resources.
The results
Scottsdale’s DFR program has improved situational awareness and reduced unnecessary dispatches. Examples include:
- Fire and rescue support: “We will fly the DFR to residential fires or any fires that come out, and now the battalion chief has access to see that fire and his guys are still leaving the firehouse.”
- Low-priority call triage: “The DFR might launch and go take a look and say, ‘Yeah, he’s got a tow truck there. We don’t need to send police to this call.’”
- In-progress calls: “The real-time feed from that drone can be beamed down to the sergeant, the lieutenant, the officers on the street.”
It’s also had an impact on officer safety: “Whenever an officer makes a traffic stop, if there’s a camera nearby, they point the camera at them just so they have another set of eyes on them until a partner shows up,” Slavin said.
The photos below show the Scottsdale Police Department’s DFR pilot desk.
Keys to success
Scottsdale PD’s success with DFR comes down to a focused strategy, including:
- Defined mission scope: Only launched for verified calls for service, ensuring intentional use and community trust
- Dedicated pilots: FAA-certified personnel focused solely on drone operations
- Transparent operations: Policies, flight logs and footage are accessible by request
- Cross-agency impact: Supports both police and fire/EMS for quicker, more informed decisions
- Smart growth model: Expansion decisions are driven by geography, call data and feasibility — not guesswork
Looking ahead
Scottsdale PD plans to expand to four or five drone locations, though that number may shift with improvements in flight time and coverage. “As technology increases and advances, maybe that turns into only three platforms,” Slavin said.
Fixed-wing drones are also being explored for longer-duration missions — particularly for locating lost hikers in the city’s expansive preserve — and the department is working with Paradise Valley PD to share radar infrastructure for regional coverage.
Slavin’s advice to other agencies is simple: Know your mission and stay adaptable.
“The mission is not more gadgets,” he said. “The mission is: how efficiently and effectively can you use technology to provide safety for your officers and for your citizens?”
