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Contact: Sergeant Amy Dotson, Criminal Investigations Division
Phone: 309-210-4577
Email: adotson@peoriagov.org
Peoria Police Department Trials Drone as First Responder Program to Enhance Emergency Response and Officer Safety
The Peoria Police Department is currently piloting, for one week, a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program designed to improve emergency response times, enhance officer and community safety, and provide responding officers with critical information before they arrive at an incident.
The DFR program is a response-time and de-escalation initiative that uses an aerial camera to provide real-time situational awareness during certain emergency calls. Rather than replacing officers, the drone serves as an additional tool to help them make better-informed decisions while responding to incidents.
“A Drone as First Responder is exactly what its name implies,” said Chief Brad Dixon “When certain emergency calls are received by 911, a drone launches from a fixed location and flies directly to the scene, providing live video to responding officers and supervisors. It does not conduct random patrols, and it does not replace police officers. It only responds to dispatched calls for service.”
By providing responders with a live aerial view before they arrive, the DFR program can help officers assess hazards, identify suspects or victims, coordinate resources more effectively, and, in many situations, reduce the need for force or high-risk tactics.
The program has been designed with privacy and transparency as guiding principles. Safeguards include:
- Drones launch only in response to eligible calls for service dispatched through the department’s Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
- The program does not conduct random surveillance or routine patrol flights.
- Facial recognition technology is not utilized.
- Drones are not equipped with weapons.
- Video is retained only for the period established by department policy and applicable law.
- The department will provide regular public reporting and maintain transparency regarding program operations and performance.
The DFR program also offers significant public safety benefits by helping reduce unnecessary foot pursuits, limiting large perimeter searches, and providing valuable video documentation that promotes accountability for both officers and the public.
Similar programs in communities across the country have demonstrated improvements in emergency response, increased situational awareness, and opportunities to resolve incidents peacefully while enhancing officer and community safety.
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