Yonkers police unveil drone first responder pilot program. Here's how it works.
YONKERS, N.Y. -- The Yonkers Police Department is launching a Drone as a First Responder pilot program, something it says is a significant high-tech advancement in keeping the city safe.
CBS New York learned Wednesday how the unmanned aircraft will be used.
Mayor Mike Spano says Yonkers can't afford a police helicopter, "but we can afford this, and I think we can do this in a way that would really revolutionize law enforcement."
Here's what the drone can do
Police said it can be launched from a hospital rooftop and monitored at headquarters and by units in the field.
"The officers are able to look at it on a phone, so it brings a lot of additional resources to know exactly what's going on for these particular calls for service," done consultant Barry Brennan said.
CBS New York saw a reenactment that showed a first responder drone on the scene of a man with a gun, and using night vision to help locate a missing elderly woman.
"The core objective of this program is to bolster public safety by giving first responders as much information as possible before arriving on scene," Det. Lt. Frank DiDomizio said.
A drone can also drop a flotation device to someone struggling in water or bring Narcan to the scene of an overdose.
The drone the city would use is made by DJI, a Chinese company. That has raised concerns at the Department of Defense and the FBI. However, the Yonkers Police Department says software secures the drone from hacking or spying.
What about privacy concerns?
In a city that is already wired with 400 surveillance cameras, the drone doesn't bother residents like Dakari Sims.
"It definitely could be essential to the community. It just depends on how they want to use it," Sims said.
The Yonkers Police Department will publish flight logs to show when and why the high-tech tool is in the sky over New York state's third-largest city.
The pilot program will operate five days per week, eight hours per day, through Aug. 31.
