LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials announced “phase two” of the department’s Drone First Responder Program, which will include new “sky ports” and remotely piloted drones.
“What, from my perspective once sounded like science fiction, maybe something from like the Jetsons, is now becoming a reality here in Las Vegas as we push the limits of technology,” said Dori Koren, LVMPD assistant sheriff.
In October, LVMPD announced that drones were responding to calls for service by launching from patrol cars.
Wednesday, Koren said instead of patrol cars, drones will soon be docked at 13 hubs or “Sky Ports” throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Some of those ports will be mounted on rooftops of police and fire stations, and others on standalone structures.
“These aren’t just launch pads. From my perspective, these are gateways to the sky. A connected network that allows us to establish a police presence, and prevent violence within seconds,” Koren said.
The assistant sheriff said their goal is to cover as much of the valley with the Sky Ports as possible, with a focus on high crime areas.
“Our focus is on areas where we think people need more police services, so whether there is high crime, or whether we have other technology that can make this more effective,” Koren explained. “Think of gunshot detection sensors.”
The drones will be piloted remotely from a central location. He said they are still in the process of building out what that looks like and will keep the public updated. He adde the unit has special clearance from the FAA to allow pilots to operate their drones out of their line of sight.
When it comes to citizens’ privacy, Koren said the drones will be marked with red and blue lights. Their cameras will automatically flip up while on the way to calls for service, and they won’t store data or video they don’t need.
“Every flight is logged, audited, and tied to an active incident,” Koren said. “We have strict policies in place to protect privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, and that includes detailed training, data retention rules, and the philosophy of self limitation.”
He said they hope the 13 ports will be operational by the end of the year. Down the road, they will release a coverage map, but not the specific port locations in an effort to protect them.
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