NYPD buys top-of-the-line tactical flying tech, explores drone usage to answer 911 calls even before cops get thereBy Craig McCarthy
August 6, 2023
Drone tech is really taking off at the NYPD.
The nation’s largest police department has spent tens of thousands of dollars on top-of-the-line tactical drones so far this year — and is exploring using the new technology to help cops answer 911 calls in the future, The Post has learned.
City records show the NYPD recently put in orders for a number of new aerial bots from Brinc Inc., a Seattle-based company that boasts plans of one day creating drones that will “quickly and effectively” respond to emergencies, even before law enforcement.
The purchase of the Lemur 2 quad-copters — devices equipped with thermal imaging and night vision and designed to serve as the first line of SWAT — is the latest investment in policing tech by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
The purchases — as well as a previously unreported multimillion-dollar investment by the NYPD into two social media tracking tools — is raising eyebrows among lawmakers and privacy advocates who say guardrails could be needed for the department’s new use of policing tech.
* * *
Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/08/06/nypd-exploring-use-of-drones-to-answer-911-calls-as-it-buys-high-tech-tactical-bots/
