Montgomery County Police Department is the first major city police department to use drones as first responders.
During a demonstration Monday, a drone flew off the roof of a downtown Silver Spring building and traveled in a two-mile radius to assist police following a 9-1-1 call.
Drones will only be used involving crimes that put the community in danger and will not be used to monitor areas, according to Police Chief Marcus Jones.
During a roughly seven-month pilot program that began Monday, one drone is assigned to the Silver Spring area and another to the Wheaton area. Both will mainly focus on the downtown business areas.
These areas were picked because they are high-call areas, Jones said. “They are two of our busiest police districts.”
While setting the program up, officers flew one drone to the area around Fenton Street in Silver Spring following a call of an “aggressive shoplifter.” The drone arrived before police officers and followed the suspect into the nearby Whole Foods supermarket.
Thanks to video from the drone, officers in a control room in Rockville were able to see both exits of the grocery store and spot when the suspect fled. “In a matter of minutes,” the suspect was apprehended, Jones said.
The drone video saved police time and staff. Officers only went to where the drone showed the suspect rather than searching the whole area, Jones explained.
In another instance, the drone took close up video of a man believed to be considering suicide by gun, according to a caller. Thanks to the drone, police could see that the object in the man’s hand was a lighter and not a gun.
MCP has been using drones since 2020 in a limited capacity, including finding missing people.
The pilot program cost $350,000. If successful, the police expect to request additional funds in Fiscal Year 2025 to expand to other parts of the county.
🚁🚨See @MontgomeryCoMD’s Drone as First Responder pilot program respond to a simulated call during today’s @mcpnews’s press event! Under the program, drones will be deployed after a 911 call is made, & will be used to assess the situation prior to the arrival of human responder. pic.twitter.com/UKIq4UU87l
— County Exec Marc Elrich (@MontCoExec) November 20, 2023
