Drone technology is becoming so advanced in New York state that law enforcement is now utilizing the unmanned aerial vehicles as first responders.
About 300 State Police officers, local sheriff deputies and fire department employees were exposed to drones during New York State’s Public Safety UAS summit.
“We can help you serve your community,” state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Terence O’Leary said as he introduced himself to the crowd in Syracuse.
O’Leary confirmed his team and partnering government groups used drones to assess bridge integrity, water levels and other pertinent flooding data in Rensselaer County and eastern portions of the state on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Trying to get to the scene of locations of an incident is pretty hard to do sometimes, and a drone can get there much, much quicker,” O’Leary said.
Nate Bazydlo, technology company NUAIR’s director of unmanned aerial systems and aerial electromagnetics, echoed O’Leary in speaking about the value of drones as first responders.
“We do a lot of work with the communities themselves and the intersection between public safety, the application of the technology and how that benefits the community,” Bazydlo said.
NUAIR received just under $7.5 million in grant funding from New York state in 2024, per financial records obtained by Spectrum News 1. Bazydlo said with drones’ advanced detection radars, unmanned drone flights are now ready for law enforcement usage.
“It’s come to a point where it’s safe and deployable and scalable across public safety,” Bazydlo said. “That’s really important.”
