ST. CLOUD, Fla. – St. Cloud welcomed some new members to the force: drones.
The police department is the first in the region to launch a “Drone as First Responder” program. The agency has used drones in the past, but these new drones can be flown remotely, allowing for quicker response times and increased capabilities.
“I think the most important thing in public safety is to obviously bridge that gap and close the time it takes for us to respond to a critical incident,” Police Chief Douglas Goerke said.
The St. Cloud Police Department has used drones for more than a decade, but previously, officers had to carry and deploy the equipment manually.
The new DFR program uses two strategically placed dock stations — one at City Hall and another at the police department — each housing a drone ready for immediate deployment. Plans are underway to add two more docks, a second one at City Hall and one on Narcoossee, to maximize coverage and minimize response times across the community.
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Using thermal imaging, lights and parachutes, the drones can be up and running in seconds thanks to waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration that allow them to be flown virtually.
“It’s a waiver from the FAA that allows us to fly non-line of sight. We do that application. At the time we actually started putting this process together, and the FAA reviews our flight restrictions where we’re located from the geolocation to the airport. They do a lot of background and investigative work for us to determine whether or not we be given that waiver,” Goerke said.
The drones are deployed for in-progress calls, giving officers eyes in the sky instantly.
“There’s nothing worse in a critical incident than a law enforcement officer getting to a scene and trying to assess everything in a split second,” Goerke added.
The drones fly at about 200 feet and travel between 35 and 40 mph, reaching scenes faster and even operating in inclement weather.
They are controlled remotely from a real-time intelligence center, where pilots provide officers on the call with crucial information.
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“It can be assessed by our real-time intelligence center and say, there is a person with a weapon in his right front pocket. Know that before you get there, this is your guy and the person that they’re looking at, saying, yes, that’s the individual that has a weapon in their pocket,” Goerke explained.
All drone recordings are stored as evidence, and residents can view the calls the drones have responded to through an online dashboard.
The DFR program uses Skydio X10 drones, which are American-made and compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act. These drones are equipped with thermal imaging capabilities, safety and law enforcement light kits, and parachutes for added safety during flight.
DFR technology provides responding officers and fire rescue personnel with real-time aerial intelligence before they arrive on scene, allowing for better-informed decisions such as assessing the number of people involved, the extent of a fire, or the direction a suspect is fleeing.
The total investment for the DFR program over the next five years is projected to be $890,000, reflecting a commitment to leveraging technology for safer, more efficient public safety operations.