{"id":106757,"date":"2025-07-10T11:03:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T15:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronelife.com\/?p=106757"},"modified":"2025-07-10T11:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T15:16:54","slug":"prosper-p-d-takes-public-safety-to-the-next-level-with-drone-first-responder-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronelife.com\/2025\/07\/10\/prosper-p-d-takes-public-safety-to-the-next-level-with-drone-first-responder-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Prosper P.D. Takes Public Safety to the Next Level with Drone-First Responder 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prosper P.D. launches DFR 2.0 program with Flock Safety technology<\/h3>\n

By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill<\/strong><\/p>\n

As police departments across the U.S. embrace the concept of using drones as first responders (DFR), some law enforcement agencies, such as the Prosper, Texas Police Department, are moving forward into the future with DFR 2.0.<\/p>\n

The department recently implemented a DFR program that combines the capability of drones to rapidly respond to a scene and relay valuable information to police personnel with a comprehensive citywide network of security cameras and license plate readers.<\/p>\n

\"Flock<\/p>\n

In May, Prosper became the first police agency in the state to adopt the Flock Aerodome DFR<\/a> system, developed by public safety software company Flock Safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this artificial intelligence technology is providing is a level of officer safety we’ve never had before, which I think is absolutely incredible,\u201d said Prosper P.D. Sgt. Keith Mann, head of the department\u2019s DFR operations.<\/p>\n

Flock Safety\u2019s DFR solution uses remote operation software to control the police department\u2019s UAV and drone docking stations and to respond to emergency incidents, Fritz Reber Flock Safety\u2019s director of DFR consulting said in an interview. The company\u2019s other security tools, notably its license plate readers (LPR) \u201care really critical to DFR because they serve as launch triggers,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bread and butter of Flock Safety was LPRs license plate reader alerts, and that is a big source of information for officers,\u201d Reber said.<\/p>\n

Prosper\u2019s DFR system employs the FlockOS a real-time intelligence platform to integrate data from numerous sources, including video, license plate recognition (LPR), and audio to provide a comprehensive view of incidents.<\/p>\n

Reber described the system as \u201ca single-pane-of-glass way of viewing all these sensors that you have access to,\u201d in addition to the drone\u2019s camera.<\/p>\n

\"Flock<\/p>\n

Mann said the system allows the DFR drone, a DJI Matrice 350, to launch from its rooftop drone nest, and to fly autonomously to the site of an incident and immediately start transmitting real-time intelligence to the Prosper command center.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a call for service come in and my drone operator from the police department will launch our drone,\u201d he said. Because the city doesn\u2019t yet have ground-based radar, under the department\u2019s FAA Certificate of Authorization the drone only is permitted to fly under the watchful eye of a visual observer (VO) on the roof.<\/p>\n

Once on the scene, the drone will begin transmitting to data officers at the operation center as well as those en route to the site, guiding them along the safest route to the scene, and serving as an overwatch of the area to alert responders of any potentially dangerous situation that the 911 dispatchers were not aware of.<\/p>\n

Mann said having access to the LPR data gives responding officers an added level of protection. He recalled an incident in which an LPR camera posted in the city spotted a vehicle that was associated with felony warrants traveling through town.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drone found the vehicle within less than two minutes, and was able to bring in patrol resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose patrol resources were able to pull the vehicle over, identify the individual inside the car, and actually had this person, who had multiple felony warrants on them, in handcuffs within less than six minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Absent the license plate reader and the DFR system, the only way an officer would have been alerted to the presences of a felon driving through town would have been if the vehicle had been speeding or involved in a wreck. \u201cThat is one of the biggest benefits that I see. The suspect was safe. My officers were safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Once the drone returns from its mission, in less than two minutes the docking station will automatically swap out its depleted battery with a fresh one, equipping the drone to take off on its next assignment.<\/p>\n

Different drones for different purposes<\/h4>\n

The DFR drone has operational boundaries that keep it within three to three-and-half miles of its charging station. With a good tailwind, the UAV can travel as fast as 58 mph, Mann said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor DFR, the first principle is speed. That’s what distinguishes it from other types of drone operations, getting the drone launched and to the scene as quickly as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mann said the city\u2019s DFR drone is an extremely durable vehicle, able to fly at altitudes of 400 feet in the face of high winds. \u201cWe’ve had gusts of 30 miles an hour here, and the drone operates flawlessly. You have a little bit less battery life, I will say that, because it’s working to stabilize everything that’s going on up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interested persons can follow the progress of the city\u2019s DFR program on the Prosper PD Flight Dashboard<\/a>. According to the Dashboard, between June 3 and July 3, 2025, the DFR drone responded to 118 calls, resulting in a 60% reduction in average response time compared with non-DFR calls. The average response time was about four minutes. Thirty-one subjects were located and four calls were cleared without requiring the response of human patrol officers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In addition to the DJI M 350 used for DFR operations, the Prosper PD also equips a number of its patrol vehicles for mobile drone operations, which can work in concert with the DFR drone, Mann said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have special gear in the back that allow me to charge the batteries. I have TV monitors, all those kinds of things,\u201d he said. \u201cWe carry the DJI M (Matrice) 30s in the back of the patrol units.\u201d The drone patrol units also carry DJI Avatas, compact first-person view drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we had a situation where the DFR drone performing overwatch had to return, then my patrol drone pilot can launch their M 30 to provide overwatch on a situation. And then if it’s a felony traffic stop, we use our Avata,\u201d Mann said. \u201cAfter you pull people out, we would send the Avata drone into the vehicle and allow the Avata drone to do a 360 (search) inside the vehicle to make sure nobody else is hiding in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n