Huntington Beach police deploying drones in effort to improve response times

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The Huntington Beach Police Department is using drones in an effort to improve the agency's response times to crime scenes and calls for service, with police officials describing the program as a game changer for law-enforcement and the residents of Huntington Beach.

The drones are reactive, not proactive, meaning the unmanned aerial vehicles won't be flying around for surveillance purposes. They are only deployed after a call for service, according to the Police Department.

The agency initially established its drone program in 2018, but with the new "Drone As a First Responder" program ,pilots can launch drones from a remote location, specifically from the department's Real-time Crime Center.

"One of the biggest advantages of this program is how quickly we can get on scene to support investigations and prosecutions," says police Detective Taylor Davoren, a drone first-responder pilot. "In most cases, suspects or vehicle descriptions are critical, but if it takes an officer five minutes to arrive, those details might be gone."

This is not only trims down response times from an average of 1:55 minutes, but with three drones now strategically positioned around the city, it also helps cover a large perimeter.

Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns, who was formerly a helicopter pilot for the Long Beach Police Department, said the program is a force multiplier.

"With that eye in the sky, within minutes at times, you can nail that person and the perimeter is broken down," said Burns. "And guys can go back to doing what they do and serving the people on the streets."

The program also increases officer safety. Having a drone arrive ahead of responding officers, gives them a better idea of what they're heading into while on the way to a scene.

Police Lt. Chris Nesmith, manager of the drone program, said in the larger cities that have implemented the program, like New York in Chicago, they've seen a reduction between 20 and 25% of calls handled by officers that are now handled by the drone program.

"So if you can imagine cutting 25 percent of the calls for service that the patrol officer would normally handle being handled by the drone," said Nesmith. "That's going to allow those officers to go out and do much more proactive work and serve the public better and not waste as much time on false calls or calls where they're not needed."

The three drones are positioned around the city, one in the downtown area and one each in north and central Huntington Beach. The drones will be fully operational in two weeks, police officials said.