The Charlottesville Police Department is considering an expansion of its drone operations to include a drone-first-responder component, extending the aircraft’s role beyond major events, search-and-rescue missions and dangerous-person incidents. The proposed program would allow drones to assess a wider range of public safety calls before officers arrive.
Sgt. Brian Curry has been selected to oversee the proposed addition to the department’s Emergency Services Unit. The department says the program could supplement police response and, in some cases, replace an initial officer deployment. Routine calls would be among the potential uses, with the aim of giving dispatchers and responders an earlier view of conditions at the scene.
“What we’re essentially looking to do is supplement police response and in some cases replace it altogether with a drone,” Sgt. Brian Curry said.
One example discussed by officers during a September 29 CPD community police academy meeting was a report of a disabled vehicle. A drone could provide an initial assessment of whether the vehicle represented a temporary roadside problem or a more serious safety concern. That information could help determine the appropriate response before a patrol unit reaches the location.
Sgt. Eric Thomas, CPD’s community involvement coordinator, said the aircraft could also help assess the volatility of an incident and determine how many units are needed. The department presents that function as a way to improve safety for responding personnel while directing sworn officers toward calls that require an in-person response.
“Do we need more units or less?” Sgt. Eric Thomas said.
A proposed addition to an existing team
Charlottesville’s current drone program was formalized in 2023 and is led by Sgt. Collin Bise, who would continue overseeing the department’s existing operations. The proposed DFR function would add another type of deployment rather than replace the department’s established work at large gatherings, during search-and-rescue operations or in dangerous-person response situations.
If approved, the program would be the first drone-first-responder operation in the region, according to Charlottesville police. The Virginia Beach Police Department and other departments in Northern Virginia already operate DFR programs. Fairfax County Police Department has reported that its drones launch in under two minutes and arrive before officers in about 70 percent of cases.
Department plans flight transparency website
Police officials also say the proposed expansion would be accompanied by additional public information. Curry said the department intends to create a transparency website where residents could review the flight path for a deployment and the type of call that prompted it.
The planned website is intended to address questions about why a police drone is operating in a particular area. Publishing that information would give residents a way to distinguish between flights connected to specific calls and broader concerns about police use of unmanned aircraft. The department has framed the proposed program around response assessment and situational awareness, while acknowledging that residents want direct explanations for drone activity.
- Proposed role: initial assessment of more routine public safety calls.
- Existing uses: crowd protection, search and rescue, and dangerous-person response.
- Planned accountability measure: a website showing flight paths and the type of call involved.
The expansion remains a proposal by the Charlottesville Police Department. The department’s stated objectives are to improve information available before officers arrive, help determine the scale of a response and use sworn personnel where their presence is most needed.
