Police chief outlines one-year Flock Safety drone pilot to improve response times and officer safety

Alpharetta Police Chief John Robinson described a proposed one-year lease of a Flock Safety first-responder drone (DFR) system during a council work session and said his plan is to fund the first year with seized-assets money and return to the council with data-backed recommendations for long-term funding.

"This is a 1 year, 1 year lease program, if you will, and, my goal would be to use 100% seizure money, to fund this first year," Chief Robinson said, adding the system would be a "force multiplier" for officers and the city’s real-time crime center. Robinson said the drone selected can fly about 45 minutes, operate to roughly 3.5 miles from the launch site (headquarters), and return automatically while a robotic system replaces its battery.

Robinson cited vendor and peer-city data showing a reduction in response time and increased first-on-scene rates: he referenced a 71% reduction in response time figures, 78% of flights being first on scene, and that 73% of flights located a subject in cases cited from other jurisdictions. He proposed a $150,000 annual lease cost, funded first-year with seizure money, and said staff would bring a one-year evaluation of effectiveness. Council members asked about liability, staffing, FAA compliance, alternatives (buy vs. lease), transparency (audit trail/dashboard), and recovery of seizable funds; some members said they support a pilot but requested further cost-benefit comparisons to additional officer hiring and clarity about long-term funding.

No formal vote was required; council asked staff to continue developing cost, staffing and policy details for a possible pilot.