Policing from above: Everett launches drones as first responders

EVERETT — In a move to address staffing shortages and reduce emergency response times, Everett police are launching a new, high-tech program: drones as first responders.

Beginning in June, two drones will respond to emergency calls across the city — one responding to north Everett calls, the other to south. The drones are part of a two-year program with Flock Safety, a company known for its automated surveillance tools.

“This allows us to get there sooner,” Police Chief John DeRousse said.

The goal is to provide real-time video for officers before they arrive on scene, helping them make more informed decisions — especially in situations involving search and rescue or suspicious activity.

“We live in a time where our budget is tight,” DeRousse said. “ … but with the offer that was given to us, we just felt it would be irresponsible of us to not at least look deeper into this.”

The first drone is being provided at no cost. The second is offered at a discounted rate, allowing for near-continuous coverage during the trial period. After a year, the department can opt out of the second year if funding or community support falls through.

After the trial period, Everett police estimate the cost of operating each drone could reach up to $300,000 per year, depending on the service plan selected.

Right now, Everett police average just over four minutes to respond to priority calls. Drones, by contrast, could arrive in about 90 seconds, according to Flock Safety data.

Drones aren’t new to Everett. Currently, Everett Police Department deploys drones that are stored in the back of patrol cars. Officers must drive to the scene, coordinate with another officer, unpack the equipment and manually launch the drone. “By the time that happens, minutes have passed,” DeRousse said.

“Whenever we drive code — lights and sirens — to a call, that’s risky, not just to us, but to the community,” said police Capt. Robert Goetz. “If we can shut that down … that’s de-escalation.”

The drones will not be used for proactive surveillance or immigration enforcement, Goetz said. They won’t patrol protests or monitor people coming from medical facilities, and they are not equipped with facial recognition. The drones also don’t have microphones or speakers.

During the April 9 City Council meeting, some council members raised questions about how the program would be funded after the trial period and how civil liberties would be protected. Still, the proposal passed in a 5-1 vote.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be comfortable with drones as a first responder,” council member Liz Vogeli said at the meeting, casting the lone vote against the program. “ … What is happening so quickly at the federal level — so many of our civil liberties are being erased, or at least they’re being attempted to be erased.”

Via email on Monday, Voegli declined to comment further on her concerns.

DeRousse acknowledged those concerns. “If they provide us with the power, they can take it away as well,” he said, promising the program would be grounded if the community turned against it.

In an effort to build public trust, the department hosted neighborhood meetings, virtual Q&A sessions and community presentations to gather feedback and answer questions about the new program.

Transparency, police say, will be key. A public-facing dashboard will provide real-time flight paths, incident types, response times and who piloted each flight. The footage and data will be subject to public records requests.

The drones are operated remotely by trained officers through laptops and computers, not traditional controllers. Each one can fly for about 40 to 45 minutes and cover up to 38 square miles. When they return to the docking station, the battery can be swapped in under two minutes.

Nationwide, agencies with similar programs have reported that drones were first on scene 80% of the time — and that around 20% of calls were resolved without needing an officer on the ground, according to Flock Safety.

“Transparency is going to be really, really important for the adoption of this across the country,” said Brett Kanda, a West Coast drone specialist with Flock Safety. “This is not a proactive tool. This is a reactive tool only going to calls for service.”

Washington has the lowest police staffing levels per capita, DeRousse noted. The department hopes drones will serve as a “force multiplier,” allowing them to protect both the public and officers more efficiently.

“It’s going to increase, we hope, the speed at which we apprehend criminal suspects,” Goetz said.

The program is not expected to use money from the department’s general fund. They are actively pursuing grants to support the technology if it proves successful.

“I will never support the replacement of bodies with technology,” DeRousse said. “This is just another tool.”

Aspen Anderson: 425-339-3192; aspen.anderson@heraldnet.com; X: @aspenwanderson.