Miami Beach Police utilize new drone for scouting ahead at crime scenes
MIAMI - Miami Beach police have a new eye in the sky, which is the X10 drone.
"You can put this drone up and see situationally what's going on a mile, a mile and a half away," said Bryan King of Skydio.
Bryan King is an engineer with Skydio, which is the company that supplied the new drone for the department. He says it's convenient and cost-effective.
"They're able to number one, not have to call a helicopter," King said. "So you're saving thousands and thousands of dollars per call, and you can put this in the trunk of a car."
Miami Beach police say they're the first agency in the country to use this drone.
"Our drones, our first responders as well," said Sergeant Anthony Loperfido of Miami Beach Police. "They can get out there with our cops and give us an eye in the sky to give us that perfect perspective."
Noreen Charlton of Skydio says the new model is more versatile.
"It can be used in many different use cases for public safety, from search and rescue operations to crash and crime scene documentation to every day calls for response for service," Charlton said.
"They can livestream that video feedback to themselves so that they have an idea of what they're walking into. And ideally better information faster helps them make better decisions which leads to better outcomes," Charlton said.
Charlton says more than 360 different police departments across the country will use this new drone.