Ventura—The Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, September 1, invited Commander Eric Tennessen from the Sheriff's Office, who said he oversees Police Services in the City of Camarillo, and with him is Commander Jeremy Paris, the City of Thousand Oaks Police Chief, and they asked the body to approve an agreement with Axon for drones as first responders.
THE agreement will also add a Drone as a first responder (DFR) and two deputy sheriffs as DFR pilots.
“DFR is an automated public safety solution that allows a remote pilot to deploy an aircraft directly from a docking station to an emergency incident, providing our officers immediate situational awareness before they're on-scene,” Tennessen said. “It provides emergency personnel with immediate situational awareness before our Sheriffs arrive on scene.”
DFR consists of a network of drones, or unmanned aerial systems, installed in weather-proof enclosed docks and strategically placed in pairs throughout the City to maximize coverage.
“The unmanned aerial systems are piloted by an FAA-certified Deputy Sheriff, who will be stationed in our dispatch center. It weighs about six pounds and contains a parachute for added safety,” he said. “The UAS we're looking at is made by Skydio, and starts off and launches in under 40 seconds and…
