A pair of fully autonomous drones, not a police squad car, could soon be the first thing Bridgeport residents see after they call 911.
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter says the drones, manufactured by Flock Safety, will act as a complement to local police.
“This drone program will allow us to have eyes in the sky,” Porter said. “It will allow us to respond in a more intentional way to crimes or calls for services. It will provide the officers and the first responders with a visual overview of what's taking place.”
The drones are funded by $500,000 from a state grant, according to Mayor Joe Ganim's spokesperson, Danielle Wedderburn. City officials say the drones, which can be equipped with night vision, thermal and zoom cameras, will be used for emergency police and fire department calls.
The drones, known as Flock DFR, can only be used for service calls, including 911 calls, preventing surveillance. City officials said at a press conference the drones cannot be used by police for surveillance citing department policy and will host community outreach programs on the drone system.
The drones are not yet operational. Flock Safety’s Director of Communications, Holly Beilin said the company plans to train the city’s police department and help with obtaining a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drones beyond the line of sight for pilots. Bridgeport police say the program still needs final approval from the city council.
David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU chapter of Connecticut, expressed concerns the drones could end up being used beyond their original scope.
McGuire acknowledged the drones have a legitimate purpose in law enforcement. He believes they should only be used for search and rescue operations and fire response. McGuire questioned the company and the city’s promises the drones could not be used for surveillance.
He said the latest generation of drones are now much more capable than even a few years ago, increasing privacy concerns.
“Flock is a company that has really supercharged their technologies, whether they be automated license plate readers or drones with the most high tech data collecting information technology, so these things can stay in the sky in ways and for distances and time, that [was] previously, science fiction,” McGuire said.
The drones, which can fly up to 400 feet in the air, are capable of reading license plates. They can also arrive around the call of service area within 85 seconds, according to Beilin.
When asked about the most common questions police departments have on Flock’s drones, Beilin responded with how popular they’ve proven to be with the at least 6,000 towns and cities nationwide that are already using the drones.
“When can we get more?” Beilin said.
Beilin said the drones could be used outside of a response to a 911 call, but noted such policies governing usage are determined by Bridgeport police and the city’s fire department.
“So a 911 call is one of those scenarios, but it could also be, for example, like a stolen car, it could be a fire,” Beilin said.
Beilin said at least half of Connecticut's police departments already use some of Flock’s services, from audio detection, license plate readers, to drones.
McGuire expressed concerns the drones send a mixed message, citing the city’s recent resolution banning data sharing with federal immigration authorities, unless federally required to do so.
“No matter what your retention limits are, you are now collecting lots more data from different vantage points that could potentially be used against immigrant communities,” McGuire said. “I mean, it's a larger issue beyond just immigration, but there's a heightened risk here.”
City officials say the drones will be deployed from the city’s fusion center which handles 911 calls. All data, Beilin said, is stored on a server.
Police Chief Roderick Porter said the police and Flock are currently working on the approved call list for dispatching a drone.
“It could be shots fired, obviously, fires,” Porter said. “If we have a shooting incident … or a car chase, or something like that, those are just a few of the ones that I anticipate.”
