The Coffeyville Police Department is among the first departments in the nation to acquire a drone to respond to emergency situations.
As of the latest information received a few months ago, Coffeyville is the first city under 10,000 people with a drone-as-a-first-responder program, which will be used by both the police and fire departments.
The program was approved by the Coffeyville City Commission as part of funding for body worn cameras, car cameras and interview rooms.
Coffeyville Police Chief Kwin Bromley says there has been a lot of planning to make this a reality, and the drone is finally ready for use. Bromley says the drone will be able to arrive first on scene to specific emergency calls and will start relaying video back to police officers and firefighters.
Bromley says this technology is transformational for first responders.
Bromley says this will also help better allocate resources when it comes to mutual aid fire calls. He also says they are also working on a transparency portal on the city website for the drone program.
The city has two drones at this time, made by a company called Skydio. One drone is docked on top of city hall while the other can be taken to a site and be manually deployed. Drones are controlled by dispatchers, who have received required training and certifications through Wichita State and the company. You can listen to the full interview regarding the program HERE.
