Almost a week before Montgomery County Police’s new drone as a first responder program went live, a shoplifter was located and arrested during a trial run.
Police are using two drones, one in the Downtown Silver Spring area and one in the Wheaton business district, to help deter and solve crimes as well as deal with its shortage of officers.
Known as Raven, the drone program enabled police to apprehend a 31-year-old repeat shoplifter who had targeted a CVS Pharmacy in the 9500 block of Georgia Avenue.
According to police, the suspect stole items from this store multiple times and was able to get away before patrol officers were able to respond.
On Nov. 15 at about 12:30 p.m., police received a call about a shoplifter at that CVS. The suspect had fled before officers arrived, but they deployed the drone, which captured the suspect entering a Metro bus.
The drone followed the bus and enabled police until, at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road, officers stopped the bus at 12:50 p.m. and took the suspect into custody.
Charges are pending as police investigate earlier incidents they believe were done by the same suspect.
Police expect the unmanned aircraft to assist in the assessment of scenes and circumstances before officers arrive, provide tactical information and situational awareness, contribute to the de-escalation of situations and improve overall response times.
For information on the program and to view Raven flight maps, visit Drone as First Responder Program, Department of Police, Montgomery County, MD (montgomerycountymd.gov)
