Minnetonka's Drone as First Responder program responds to 413 calls in its first six months

Synopsis

Six months after launching Minnesota's first Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, the Minnetonka Police Department is already seeing the results pay off. Drones have responded to 413 calls for service, arriving on scene before patrol units 65.4% of the time and giving officers and firefighters useful, real-time information in 87.1% of cases.

In nearly 1 out of every 5 calls, that information was enough to resolve the incident without dispatching additional resources. The results are helping Minnetonka lead the state in public safety innovation, with a public flight dashboard keeping the community informed every step of the way.