'Drones as first responders': NYPD to utilize drones at precincts to help fight crime

NEW YORK (PIX11)-- The NYPD will soon be rolling out new technology in its crime-fighting efforts. It's called the DFR Program, or Drones as First Responders.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry gave a media demonstration Friday afternoon at the Central Park Precinct. Starting this summer, the Drones will launch autonomously from five precincts when someone calls 9-1-1 about a "serious crime in progress," such as "shots fired, person shot, robbery, grand larceny, or a missing child."

The drones will be stationed at the 48th Precinct in the Bronx, the 67th, 71st, and 75th in Brooklyn and Central Park.

The NYCLU's Daniel Schwarz tells PIX11 News, "It raises serious First and Fourth amendment concerns, chilling of speech and surveillance concerns, and we've seen drones deployed at protests, and I think people are rightly worried. How is that footage access, used, shared, retained, I think there's a lot of outstanding questions."

Deputy Commissioner Daughtry was asked about privacy and surveillance concerns. He said, "What level of expectation are you expected to have inside a park, a public park, a public street?"

He also pointed out that when the drones launch, the Legal Teams will receive a link to monitor for oversight.

As for storage of the footage, he told PIX11 News, "We keep the footage. We can upload it to evidence.com, depending on if it captures an arrest or something we need to preserve. After 30 days, the footage gets deleted" unless it's part of a "case that has an ongoing investigation for the department."