The Chula Vista Police Department’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) Program is a revolutionary drone use case intended to increase officer safety, enhance efficiency and improve response times. The system involves deploying at-the-ready drones from the top of buildings within the city to calls for service and critical incidents, with the drones operated remotely via the internet by a unique position called the teleoperator.
The teleoperator is not just a drone pilot, but also a police officer with the ability to manage incidents and direct appropriate response. The DFR program provides first responders with decision-quality data and incident management before anyone on the ground is in harm’s way.