ROSWELL, Ga. — The City of Roswell is still considering a proposed one-year trial program that would use drones to respond to 911 calls.
The initiative, a partnership with the company Brinc, aims to have drones arrive at emergency scenes in less than 60 seconds.
This program would allow drones to deploy automatically when a 911 call is placed or through a manual button press by an officer in the field. The technology is designed to help first responders assess situations like missing-person cases or potentially dangerous scenes before officers arrive on the ground.
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David Benowitz, the vice president of Brinc, said the automation allows for a rapid response that can categorize calls by severity.
“On average, we get to a call for service in less than 60 seconds,” Benowitz told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna. “And so it lets people focus those resources on the priority one calls.”
Beyond automatic 911 dispatches, officers can trigger a drone response using their walkie-talkies during an emergency. Benowitz explained that this feature provides an immediate overhead view for personnel already on the scene.
“It all happens automatically,” Benowitz said. “And one kind of second that matters most is when they’re hitting that emergency button. And that’s where this automation really does matter and helps save lives.”
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The push for increased situational awareness follows the death of Roswell Police Officer Jeremy Labonte, who was shot and killed last year while responding to a report of a suspicious person.
“This type of technology could possibly be used in those types of situations to understand or assess it without having to send an officer into a potentially weaponized situation where their life could be at stake,” Roswell City Councilwoman Sarah Beeson said.
While acknowledging the safety benefits, Beeson also addressed potential risks associated with increased surveillance. She noted the importance of balancing public safety with personal security and privacy.
“It can become a slippery slope later on in terms of how laws are enforced, who enforces them, who has access to that information and all those concerns,” Beeson said.
The proposed program is structured as a one-year trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the drone response and its impact on the community.
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