The Bee Cave Police Department, in the state of Texas, has initiated an“Autonomous Drone Pilot Program” in collaboration with Eve Vehicles Corporation, with the goal of improving local emergency assistance and response.
The autonomous drone pilot program
Bee Cave Police Chief Brian Jones mentioned the importance of being on the cutting edge of technology with this project. Eve Vehicles has been developing autonomous drones to support emergency services for the past two years. In April, they began work on a specific model called the WREN.
The company’s drones can be dispatched to any emergency at the push of a button, allowing 911 operators and officers to get a live view of the scene before first responders arrive.
In addition, they are equipped with a 40x optical zoom and can reach speeds of up to 96 km/h (60 mph). Moreover, they integrate an innovative feature: “autonomous limitation“, which allows a drone with low battery to automatically request a replacement from another drone in the network. These drones will be located in “nests” around the city, which will serve as both operational bases and charging stations.
Eve Vehicles Corporation CEO Roger Pecina explained that“911 calls often occur during times of high stress, which can make it difficult to communicate with operators.” Now, drones arriving first on scene and transmitting real-time video help minimize this communication gap, allowing dispatch to make more informed decisions about needed resources, which can save the city money and, more importantly, save lives.
The Bee Cave Police Department has indicated that the drones’ “image and video retention policies” will be the same as other handheld drones and body cameras, discarding footage after 30 days unless it has evidentiary value. Currently, they are in the testing phase with one drone, but a possible expansion of the program to three drones is planned for next October of this year.
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Source and photos: KVUE / City of Bee Cave
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