Police outline drone program that they say speeds response and reduces patrol deployments
Sergeant Vu told the council the department’s drone program averages 100 flights a month, arrives within about 90 seconds of dispatch and closed roughly one-third of drone‑assisted calls without a patrol response; he highlighted safety and privacy safeguards and plans for expanded launch sites.
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Sergeant Vu presented the Hawthorne Police Department’s drone-as-first-responder initiative, describing the program’s evolution from early rooftop launches to docked drone stations with extended range radar and redundancy. Vu said the program averages more than 100 flights per month, reaches scenes within about 90 seconds on average, and can close nearly one-third of drone‑assisted calls without a ground patrol response.
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