DENVER — At IACP 2025, a full house heard how Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs are reshaping police operations, staffing and community engagement. Three departments — Redmond, Washington; San Francisco, California; and Lakewood, Colorado — shared how they built and scaled real-world programs that are redefining what “first on scene” means for law enforcement.
Skydio sponsored the session, which began with opening remarks from co-founder and CEO Adam Bry, who described what he called “a very special moment in the evolution of drones for public safety.” Bry traced how the technology has matured — from hobbyist toys to essential tools — and how a new phase has now begun.
“Fifteen years ago, they were toys,” he said. “Ten years ago, people realized that if you put cameras on these things, they were incredibly powerful tools — you could put them in dangerous places, gather more information and sometimes change outcomes. But what our most advanced customers are doing today is very different. It centers on the dock — the drone lives in a connected base station, available 24/7, launched remotely or autonomously. We’re entering a new world where drones themselves are part of the physical infrastructure of public safety.”
With that foundation, the discussion turned to the operational realities — policy, staffing, transparency and cross-agency collaboration — that have made DFR successful in three different departments.
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Redmond Police Department (Wash.)
Chief Darrell Lowe said Redmond, a 14-square-mile community that includes major technology companies, flies its drones on any call for service — not just high-priority calls.
“I allow our pilots to fly on any call for service,” Lowe said. “We can get anywhere in our city within 90 seconds or less. That situational awareness in under two minutes is critically important.”
All Redmond pilots are sworn officers. Lowe explained that was essential when using DFR to establish probable cause or cancel a ground response. “If we’re using this to establish probable cause, we have to have somebody who has the credibility and the ability to determine whether or not you have a crime that occurs,” he said.
Lowe said Redmond’s two full-time pilots fly about 14 hours a day, five to six days a week, and had completed roughly 1,800 calls for service at the time of the conference.
A public dashboard lists all flights and call types. Lowe said that transparency helped build community support.
He added that the program benefits other city services as well. The department’s drones have helped locate missing persons, supported the fire department in detecting hot spots, and verified that a suspected eagle’s nest at a construction site was inactive so work could continue.
“It’s a citywide asset,” Lowe said. Redmond is planning to pilot “drone-only” responses for certain low-risk calls such as suspicious-person or audible-alarm reports.
San Francisco Police Department (Calif.)
Commander Thomas McGuire said San Francisco’s DFR program was first deployed in an area experiencing a high volume of auto burglaries — the Fisherman’s Wharf district — to test how the technology could help address active crime problems.
“We picked an area that was suffering from high amounts of auto burglary,” McGuire said. “We found immediate success in that area.”
McGuire noted that since the program began, auto burglaries in San Francisco have decreased by 74%, overall crime is down about 30% and the homicide rate is at a 70-year low. He did not directly attribute those trends to the DFR program but highlighted them as part of the city’s broader public-safety improvements during the same period.
He described one pursuit that demonstrated the drone’s value. A suspect wanted for armed robberies fled into downtown traffic and toward the bay.
“As this was taking place the drone is deploying now,” McGuire said. “The captain very wisely made sure that the pursuit was canceled and asked for the drone to take over.” The drone tracked the suspect along the Embarcadero, followed him toward the Bay Bridge, and located him hiding under a pier with thermal imaging. Officers and the marine unit made the arrest.
McGuire said the DFR program has drawn positive local coverage. “We got a news article yesterday … very positive press,” he said, noting that San Francisco maintains a transparency portal posting all flight logs.
He also mentioned strong public backing: voters recently approved a measure authorizing expanded use of police technology.
“We’ve now taken a new tool, we’ve added that tool to their toolbox, they love it,” McGuire said. “But in reality, all this is because of the hardworking police that are on the ground with this fantastic tool.”
Lakewood Police Department (Colo.)
Division Chief Anita Koester said Lakewood’s DFR program is only six months old but already on its third iteration of its strategic plan.
“Technology and learning are moving so fast that we have to be very resilient and very fluid,” Koester said.
The department started with one dock and one drone, flying four days a week for 10 hours a day. After five months it added a second dock and drone.
In its first six months, Lakewood recorded 1,514 calls for service, with the drone arriving first on scene 80% of the time and directly contributing to 131 arrests, including 30 retail theft cases.
Lakewood operates with a mix of sworn and civilian personnel in the operations center. “We have the right people, the right place and the right time,” Koester said. “Our pilots are passionate, dedicated and focused on getting real-time information to the people who need it.”
Koester shared video from a structure fire where the drone arrived before ground units, streaming a live feed to the fire district. That helped both departments manage traffic, perimeter safety and resources.
“It’s not just about police response,” Koester said. “It’s about how many other people need to see this video to become more efficient and more effective.”Koester noted that the climate-controlled docks have handled local weather well and that the system’s self-protection logic prevents unsafe launches.
Common lessons
All three departments emphasized the same foundations:
- Clear policy and transparency from the start
- Sworn pilots or trained operators who understand patrol needs
- Frequent communication with the public and city leadership
“When residents see the actual saves and arrests,” Lowe said, “the conversation shifts from abstract concerns to concrete benefits.”
Tactical takeaway
Start small, measure relentlessly, and show your work. Each agency proved that clear policy, sworn pilot oversight, and visible transparency turn a drone program from an experiment into trusted public-safety infrastructure.
How close is your agency to a moment when “first on scene” might mean a drone — and what would have to change to make that work? Share below.
