Flagler Sheriff Staly Exploring Deployment of Drones as First Responders: A ‘Much Cheaper Helicopter’

When local elected boards pause for a moment before meetings to reflect and recognize first responders, they usually have in mind the cops, firefighters, fire police and paramedics who respond to emergency scene. They don’t mean lifeless drones. They may soon have to, as the definition of “first responder” could change in Flagler County law enforcement.

“We’re seriously looking at the drone as a first responder,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I’ve seen that in action. I think that’s the future of our Real-Time Crime Center, your next step. Axon just came out with their indoor drone. So, we’re looking at that.” Staly says “we’re ways off” before that’s a reality, but it appears to be a leading trend in local policing.




Staly was speaking last week from the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell. It had been transformed into a showplace for Axon, the Arizona-based technology company whose tasers, body cams, car cameras, simulators, interview rooms and real-time crime center equipment and software redefined policing in the past years. It continues to do so with new products–among them, the drone as first responder.

“The concept is that a drone as a first responder will take off from whatever location you have strategically placed them. It will be flown over the scene to get eyes where deputies are responding,” Staly said. It’s not unlike what Flagler County FireFlight, the emergency helicopter, does when it assists deputies on the ground. But a drone is a “much cheaper helicopter.”

Last December Staly was among the law enforcement leaders from across the country invited to Axon’s own CEO Summit to preview new products and provide input. Some of what was displayed in the Operations Center’s parking lot last week was part of that summit. Bringing Axon to the county was an “opportunity to showcase to the community and to other law enforcement agencies what’s available and what’s being used.




Police and civilian representatives from Bunnell, St. Johns County, several police agencies in Volusia County and other paces streamed in and out of the showcase, putting hands on a variety of drones, a new line of tasers, a mobile license plate reader, and virtual reality, or VR, training simulators that recreate real-world situations. In Axon’s verbiage, the VR tool gives officers “the ability to practice tactical movements, de-escalation techniques, and enhance their communication skills.” The VR goggles immerse the wearer in realistic situations involving split-second decisions and interactions simulated individuals, which they can then analyze afterward to see what they did right or not.

The drone as first responder drew attention, because unlike tasers or license plate readers or body cams, it’s not in use locally and has just begun spreading among law enforcement agencies. “The reason that’s so important is because it can give the police officer and the dispatcher more situational awareness as they arrive to a scene,” John Isner, president of Axon Enterprise, told the Motley Fool podcast in December. “One of the things we see a lot today, unfortunately is very sad, is police officers tend to be ambushed. There’s a call for domestic violence or something like that, police officer walks up to the front door and they’re ambushed and killed, and something like a drone as a first responder could mitigate that.”

To be effective, there would have to be several drones strategically located around Palm Coast and Flagler County so that they can be launched in relative proximity to a scene when needed, Staly said, though drones can overfly terrain faster than human responders can: there are no streets to navigate, no traffic to worry about in the sky. They can fly at about 45 mph. They have speakers and microphone, enabling two-way communication if necessary, and immediately providing visuals of an active scene, “which makes it safer for the deputies,” Staly said. “When they get on their scene, they know exactly what’s going on, because we have eyes on what’s going on.”




The Sheriff’s Office plans to do a strategic assessment to determine what the priority calls are, where the drones might best be placed, through which partnerships with local governments or private entities. The drones could be docked on public or private buildings. The agency would have to work out any regulatory issues with the Federal Aviation Administration. There’s also cost, though that’s a difficult figure to decipher. Axon bundles its products. Drones would be bundled as part of a “program,” making it difficult to determine what, say, one drone costs and what it costs with its associated wares, training and support systems.

Those figures were not as visible as the products on display in the parking lot, but Axon itself on its website notes that “You can start a drone program — including hardware, software, licensing and training — with as little as $10,000. But you’ll also need to plan for long-term costs and staffing implications in terms of maintenance and continuing education..” The company adds: “Small drones for indoor flight begin at $500, portable units can range from $3,000 to $7,000 and larger high-capacity drones for critical missions can run from $15,000 to $30,000.”

The Sheriff’s Office is also exploring Axon’s new generation of indoor drones. The agency has drones of its own, but not as nimble as Axon’s new ones, which can almost fit in the palm of a hand, have protected propellers and rubberized edges that allow it to bounce off walls rather than crash.

The drones got attention in Axon’s showcase. So did Axon’s new-generation taser 10, and the semi trailer transformed into a (practice) shooting gallery for those wanting to have a direct feel of the stun gun. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies are about to be equipped with the new gun, which has significant new advantages over the previous version, says Ross Adeli, the Axon road show team lead who explained the gun’s capabilities.




The previous version could fire only twice–once at a range of 10 to 15 feet, once at closer range. The Taser 10 can fire 10 times at long range. The Leon County Sheriff recorded a successful use of the stun gun at 44.6 feet (disabling an individual who was threatening to kill himself with a firearm). “It honestly is a game changer for law enforcement,” Adeli said. The trailer saw plenty of action as officer after officer tried the new gun. (The Bunnell Police Department’s officers are already equipped with it.)

One development that did not get as much attention as the flashier technology may be just as essential, though it’s not yet part of the Flagler County Sheriff’s bundle: artificial intelligence technology that allows for immediate and sophisticated translation of innumerable languages and dialects. The technology is developed enough to translate combinations of languages. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office has to pay for a language line–a third-party translator available to deputies or the 911 center. The AI system would replace that.