Police departments in the United States are spending a lot of money lately. For example, the New York Police Department, known as NYPD, is buying robots to patrol subway stations. Now, Denver is thinking about doing something similar. They want to start sending drones to certain 911 calls.
In Denver, police already have drones with cameras. They use them to do things like map out crime scenes and follow suspects. Now, they want to use these drones to respond to emergency calls. They will send the drones to check out the situation first. Then, they will decide if they need to send police officers. This might help them use their resources better and spend less money.
The police in Denver are still making plans for this. But if it happens, the drones will go to the scene first. They will take a look and send live video back to the people controlling them. Then, they will decide if police officers need to go there.
Some people think this is a good idea. They say it will help police officers know what they are dealing with before they get there. For example, if there is a report of a shooter, the drone can go first and see if it’s true. This might prevent police officers from going into a dangerous situation without knowing what’s happening.
But some people don’t like this idea. They worry about privacy. Drones with cameras flying around might make people feel like they are being watched all the time. They are especially worried about how this might affect Black communities, which are already watched a lot by police.
This isn’t the only place where police are using drones. Santa Monica tried something similar. In New York, police have robot dogs to help them with certain crimes. So, this is part of a bigger trend of using new technology in policing.
