Ramapo police implement drone as a first responder program
Capt. Kevin Lee said the department launched the groundbreaking, FAA-approved program earlier this month.
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The Ramapo Police Department announced that it is the first and only law enforcement agency in Rockland County to implement the drone as a first responder program.
Capt. Kevin Lee said the department launched the groundbreaking, FAA-approved program earlier this month.
"It's a little unique from other drone programs because our drone basically sits at a docking station in two locations," Lee said.
When a call comes in, Lee said the department is able to launch the drone right away. This helps them understand the situation before the officers arrive to the scene.
"Drones don't have to take roads... They'll usually get there a little faster and, right away, they'll give us a birds eye view of actually what's going on," Lee said.
The captain said the program is special.
"Other departments have established programs for drones. We're the first ones who have docking stations ready to launch drones," Lee said.
It's already helped them with an incident that occurred this week at a Walmart near the police department.
"We had a larceny," Lee said. "We had information that suspects were leaving the store with some goods... We were able to get the drone up onsite."
If the officers didn't arrive on time, Lee said the drone would have helped them track the suspects' car if it were to leave the area.
Pace Law Professor Bennett Gershman said he understands if people have privacy concerns about the program.
"But the fact is we take risks when we live in a society," Gershman said. "We know that there's surveillance cameras probably all over the place."
Capt. Lee said he wants to be clear about the overall purpose of the program.
"These drones are designed as a first responder drone. Their one and only purpose [is] to put the drone up in the air and respond to known incidents as they're unfolding," Lee said.
He told News 12 the department has no intention of using the drones for any kind of general surveillance.
