Montgomery County says police drones as first responders speed response, help de‑escalate and clear calls

Montgomery County police told the council that the Drone‑as‑First‑Responder (DFR) program has shortened response times, aided de‑escalation and in some cases allowed officers to clear calls without dispatching patrol units.

Commander Jason Kokanis, who leads the DFR effort, said the program places drones on rooftops at pre‑positioned sites and activates them to specific 911 calls or officer‑generated emergencies; the drones are not used for proactive surveillance. “The drone is 1st responder,” he said, describing the program’s goal to arrive at scenes in conjunction with or before ground units to provide tactical information and reduce risk.

Kokanis provided performance figures: the county had flown more than 1,500 DFR calls as of Oct. 24, with an overall on‑scene rate of about 71% and an average first‑on‑scene time of 49 seconds. He said the program had located 457 subjects and that 244 calls (~16%) were cleared without patrol deployment, returning roughly 501 officer‑hours to other service.

Operations and safeguards: staff stressed limits on surveillance: there is no proactive patrol, no facial recognition and no audio capture (the latter constrained by Maryland two‑party consent law). Video is treated the same as body‑worn and in‑car footage and is tagged and uploaded into evidence.com; the county runs audits and “engine replay” reviews to check camera angles and use.

Sites, equipment and costs: DFR currently operates in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Gaithersburg and soon Bethesda; the county flies DJI Matrice 350 drones (about 20 lb.), typically between 330 and 400 feet and for up to ~55 minutes. Kokanis said some sites have beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight waivers (e.g., Gaithersburg) while sites inside the DC flight‑restricted zone require a visual observer on the roof; the department is negotiating limited beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight authority to expand coverage to areas such as White Oak and Germantown.

Community outcomes and oversight: presenters said the program has assisted in locating missing people (including a 7‑year‑old in Silver Spring), supporting criminal investigations (drone video was cited as evidence in a jury conviction), and reducing the immediacy of some armed encounters by allowing officers to reposition. Kokanis said the department is inviting academic partners (two universities) to conduct third‑party analyses of program outcomes and will publish a public annual report on Nov. 15 with case summaries and data.

Councilmembers asked for enhancements to public dashboards (e.g., marking flights that averted a patrol deployment or that diverted the caller to mental‑health teams) and for clearer, consistent flight descriptions; staff said they would work with technology vendors and the county tech team to add fields and FAQs. The session concluded with staff pledging to refine metrics on de‑escalation and prevented uses of force for future reporting.