Oak Brook, Illinois police drone up and flying, and helping police fight crime
CBS News Chicago was first to report on police drones coming to the west Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, and a drone is now up, flying, and responding to calls.
The drone flies 50 mph through the air at 400 feet, and is deployed from the roof of the Oak Brook Fire Department as soon as a 911 call is made. It serves as an eye in the sky before police can get to a scene, and has already helped police crack down on crimes.
"We can get from one side of the town to the other in about a minute and a half, so it's beating our officers to almost every call it's dispatched to," said Oak Brook police Chief Brian Strockis.
Oak Brook police have named the drone Blu. CBS News Chicago watched as it responded to an attempted car theft.
"This offender had reprogramming equipment and was trying to break into a car," Strockis said. "He kind of ran around a building and ducked into a bush, and the officers ran right by him. But the drone operator was able to relay he was in that bush area."
Strockis is leading the Oak Brook police drone program. It has been live for about two months now, and it is the first of its kind in the state.
"We've seen a decrease in response time for our officers getting to calls," Strockis said.
But Oak Brook police may not be the only ones using the technology for long.
"I think we are really going to see it really blow up here in DuPage County, and have other agencies jump on board," said Strockis.
In another recent incident, the drone responded to a burglary call. It captured the suspect running into a wooded area before police arrived.
Video from the drone, fed live to officers in real time, helped them find and arrest him.
Some do have questions about privacy with the drone.
"We are not out there surveilling people," said Strockis.
CBS News Chicago asked the company behind the tech, Flock Safety, to address concerns associated with such drone technology.
"We've baked in these privacy protections, so that we're making sure there's accountability, there's transparency, there's oversight of this entire system. It's only being as law enforcement purposes as intended," Flock Safety spokeswoman Holly Beilin said in March. "Until the drone gets to the scene, when it's just flying to get to the scene, that camera is facing straight ahead."
The DuPage County State's Attorney's office is also on board, with footage from the Oak Brook drone being used in court.
With a new school year coming, Butler School District Supt. Paul O'Malley is getting involved too.
"When seconds count the police are minutes away," said O'Malley. "With that drone, when seconds count the drone is on its way."
The school district is incorporating the police drone into the district's safety plan for the upcoming school year.
"It shares with the community we are ahead of any potential threats that could come into the school, and what's important is we want to be ahead of it, not behind it," said O'Malley.
That is what Oak Brook police said their drone, Blu, is doing — getting to scenes first, and helping keep the community and those policing it safer.
In some cases, the drone is eliminating the need for police chases that can be dangerous.
"To have so many deployments, like we've had, and to major incidents where we're making arrests because of the drone that we wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to make — I think that shows it's paid off already," Strockis said.