Ventura County Sheriff’s Drone as First Responder Program Advances in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo: Eight-Year, $6.9 Million Contract, 10 Drones
Ventura County, California - The Ventura County Sheriff's Office Drone as First Responder program is advancing in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, where prepositioned drones docked around the two cities are intended to reach some emergency calls ahead of responding deputies.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors signed off on an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. for the system at its September 1 meeting. The unanimous approval also included the addition of two deputies to pilot the drones. The eight-year, $6.9 million contract will be paid for by Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, which contract with the Sheriff's Office for police services, with costs split 60 percent to Thousand Oaks and 40 percent to Camarillo based on the expected number of calls for service.
Sheriff's Commander Eric Tennessen said the program can close gaps, provide real-time information to responding deputies and at times de-escalate a response. Plans call for six drones in Thousand Oaks and four in Camarillo.
The Sheriff's Office said a drone can launch in under 40 seconds and fly up to 45 miles per hour for 40 minutes, that drones are only expected to respond to calls for service, and that the devices are not equipped with facial recognition capabilities, biometric technology or an automated license plate reading system. The office said its policy was in the final stages of review.
(Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office)
Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：无人机飞行训练（资料图）。照片：公共领域（美国土地管理局），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A drone in flight during training (file photo). Public domain (U.S. Bureau of Land Management), via Wikimedia Commons.
