Montgomery County outlines 'Drone as First Responder' program, cites faster aerial response and transparency measures

Montgomery County police told the Maryland House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 15 that the county’s “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) program is intended to provide rapid aerial support for 911 and officer-generated calls, arriving in some areas in about 60 to 75 seconds and supplying live video and direction to officers on the ground.

The briefing explained why county officials say the program matters: drones can give officers earlier situational awareness in emergencies, help locate missing people at night with thermal cameras, and in some cases allow the department to resolve incidents without dispatching a patrol unit.

“We are pre-positioning a drone stationed on the roof of a building to fly to a call for service and arrive prior to or in conjunction with first responders on the ground,” said Commander Jason Kokinos, who described the program’s operations. He said the county operates a centrally located “operations room” that monitors Live 911 and dispatch data and can send a drone without waiting the minutes it otherwise takes to process and dispatch a patrol unit.

Montgomery County Chief of Police Mark Yamada, who took command July 1, 2024, said the department began a pilot in November 2023 and has since nearly reached 2,000 missions across pilot and expanded sites. Officers…