DENVER, Colo. (KMGH) — The Denver Police Department (DPD) has quietly launched drones to serve as first-responders in a pilot program, sparking renewed concerns about surveillance and transparency.
The pilot program includes two Skydio X10 drones and two docking stations installed on the roof of the Denver Police Administration building on Cherokee Street in downtown Denver.
Since mid-October, when the pilot program was first launched, the drones have responded to 215 calls for service.
"Leveraging emerging technologies like Drone as First Responder platforms will help us to achieve quicker response times..." said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas in a news release announcing the trial run.
The drones operate within a two nautical mile radius of that location, according to DPD.
Denver joins a growing number of metro area communities using drone as first-responder programs, including Commerce City and Castle Rock.
However, the program has sparked concerns about transparency around how the program started and who is being contracted to carry it out.
DPD said it is currently piloting with Skydio Drone, and has signed a contract with Flock Aerodome, the same surveillance company at the center of recent controversy over a contract extension it made with the city behind closed doors, according to some Denver City Council members.
A move that is apparently starting to become a pattern for the city.
When Denver7 reached out to Denver Councilmember At-Large Serena Gonzalez-Gutierrez, she said this was the first she had heard about DPD's drone pilot program.
And as a member of the city's surveillance task force, she believes the community should have been involved in the decision to launch the pilot program back on Oct. 18.
"We need an opportunity to at least catch up and to implement some guardrails to make sure that we're not causing more harm," she said.
Flock Safety, one of the two companies contracted for the trial, is already at the center of disputes with the city and residents over its automated license plate reader cameras.
"After everything that we have gone through with the automated license plate readers... it's very, very concerning that we're continuing to do business with this company," said Gonzalez-Gutierrez.
Denver7 reached out to the department Friday, but DPD was not available for an interview.
In the department's news release, the agency highlighted early successes.
- DFR drones have been deployed to 215 calls for service (through December 8th) including, but not limited to: Robberies, burglaries, assaults, fights, weapons-related offenses, narcotics-related reports, and more
- Over 80% of the time, drones arrive first on scene to incidents to which they respond
- In more than 30% of calls to which they respond, the DFR pilots determine that no patrol response is needed, allowing officers to be redirected to higher-priority incidents
- In 95% of the missions they fly, the pilots assess that they've provided critical information to officers on the ground
- Using the DFR drones, the pilots have helped locate suspects, clear calls without officer deployment, and reduce wait times for service
But some city leaders remain unconvinced that the benefits will outweigh the risks.
"It's yet to be answered whether or not these can be utilized by avoiding the concerns that people have been stating," Gonzalez-Gutierrez said.
The zero-dollar Skydio pilot program is contracted through March of 2026.
Meanwhile, a timeframe for obtaining and installing the Flock Aerodome equipment has not yet been determined, according to DPD.
