The City of Charlotte is moving forward with plans to use drones as part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) operations. A request for proposals (RFP) posted May 30 says the city will begin accepting bids from drone companies starting July 1 at 10:00 a.m.
According to CMPD, they plan on using the new drones for emergency response, surveillance, traffic management, search and rescue, and crime scene monitoring. The initiative, called Drones as First Responders (DFR), aims to improve response times and enhance situational awareness during critical incidents.
Drones would be stationed on police and fire department rooftops and monitored by CMPD’s Real Time Crime Center, which also manages thousands of existing surveillance cameras across the city.
California-based Skydio plans to submit a proposal to CMPD, having just released their new Skydio Dock for X10.
Similar drone programs are already in use in cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, where drones can reach incidents in under 90 seconds and stream footage to officers en route.
While CMPD cites public safety as the priority, privacy advocates continue to monitor how the technology will be used.
