The Future Force Series: From de-escalation to faster response times, drones are changing how police departments work

When Captain Don Redmond retired from the Chula Vista Police Department in 2022, he had nearly 26 years of experience in everything from SWAT responses to jail command, and was ready to bid law enforcement goodbye. But after joining BRINC, a drone company that specializes in public safety, he became vice president of special projects there, and has been a promoter of using drones as first responders (DFRs) ever since. In this episode of The Big REthink, Redmond joins host Susan Campbell to share some of the ways in which drones are improving safety outcomes and supporting police departments, including de-escalation, accelerated response times, and reducing officers’ workload at a time when staffing is a challenge. Finally, he describes the tech-enabled future he envisions (drones are key, and so is a real-time response system) for safer communities.