The Colony police deploy drone as first responder in new high‑tech program
From the outside, The Colony Police Department looks fairly simple. But inside, the agency is operating on the cutting edge of technology.
Meet Maveric – the department's state‑of‑the‑art drone, they're calling a first responder.
"We have a drone in a dock on the roof of our police department that we can use to respond to calls for service," said Lt. Marc Hamm, who runs the drone program at The Colony PD.
Maveric lives on the roof inside a futuristic dock. He's largely self‑sufficient — he can even change his own battery.
Faster response from above
The drone is controlled by a pilot at the department and can often get to a call before officers on the ground.
"This drone doesn't have to stop for traffic lights, it doesn't have to avoid congestion or road blockages, and it can just get there quick," Hamm said.
It's only in its third week of use, but the department plans to deploy it for a wide range of calls.
"Parking complaints, ordinance violations, suspicious persons, traffic stops to help officers, in‑progress theft calls, missing persons, runaways," Hamm said.
Pilots relay real‑time information
Edwardo Hernandez is one of the 15 pilots on staff who is charged with flying Maveric. He says the drone provides invaluable data to crews on the ground.
"We have the ability to relay to them real‑time data, real‑time information so they know what kind of scenario is going on," Hernandez said.
That, he says, helps keep officers and residents safe.
The entire drone program costs about $300,000, including roughly $30,000 for the drone itself. But The Colony received nearly full funding through a grant from the North Texas Regional Auto‑Theft Task Force.
