The Yonkers Police Department announced today the launch of the City of Yonkers’ Drone as a First Responder (DFR) pilot program, in partnership with Motorola Solutions Inc., Flying Lion Inc., Westchester Drone Ops, and St. Joseph’s Medical Center.
Drone as a First Responder (DFR) is an innovative and transformative use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (aka Drones) used by public safety professionals to assist in everyday operations. This technology has not been implemented in the Westchester area as a DFR program until now. The Yonkers Police Department has committed to a 60-day pilot program to assess the use of this technology as an enhancement to our public safety operations.
For this pilot program, the Yonkers Police Department will utilize one drone- a DJI M300 series – equipped with high-definition cameras and thermal imaging. This drone will be responding to calls for service alongside, and overhead, Officers on the street. When a priority call for service is received, the drone will launch from the roof of St. Joseph’s Medical Center and be jointly operated by a pilot on the roof with the drone, as well as a pilot controlling it remotely from our AWARE Crime Control Center. From this launch location, this drone has a response area that reaches approximately 60% of all Police calls for service.
The real-time video feed will be streamed to Officers and Supervisors in the field via a smartphone and laptop application, so responders can see the emergency scene before arriving. The ability to evaluate the resources needed, prepare the proper operational response, and increase the safety of the first responders and the public is the intent of the project and the mission of this program.
Public transparency is a fundamental value of the Yonkers Police Department. To maintain the highest level of trust and transparency with the community, drone flight logs will be published on the Yonkers Police Department website to show the community how the drone is being used. This public-facing platform will be updated daily, and the public will be able to see the date and time of flights, flight paths, and duration, as well as the reason for the flight and the call type it responded to.
Mayor Mike Spano said, “I’m so proud the City of Yonkers is the first and only municipality in Westchester County utilizing this program. By keeping up with evolving technology, we have another tool that allows us to serve our community in a way we never have been able to before. This will allow for more informed decisions, a bird’s eye view, and an unmatched advantage in critical situations. Thank you to Motorola Solutions, Flying Lion, and Westchester Drone Ops for the assistance in providing us with this resource.”
“Policing is a difficult profession,” said Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza. “Despite the challenges, our Officers here in Yonkers consistently prove they are the best at what they do. Today, we are giving them yet another tool to help them serve the people of this City with the addition of our drone as a first responder. This new technology transforms traditional police response by allowing our Officers to view a scene while responding, giving them vital information that can be used to make more informed decisions upon arriving. I want to thank Mayor Spano and his administration, as well as the city council, for continuing to be so incredibly supportive of our Police Department and constantly providing us with cutting-edge technology to ensure that our officers are the best-trained and best-equipped.”
“Saint Joseph’s Medical Center is honored to serve as the launching pad for the drone as a first responder program and partner with the Yonkers Police Department and the City of Yonkers on this important initiative to combat crime and keep our community safe,” said Michael J. Spicer, President and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center.
The pilot program will operate five days per week, eight hours per day, through August 31, 2024. After program completion, an assessment of the operation will be conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of this technology in Yonkers, as well as an overall program assessment and plan to move toward a full-time operation.
