Sponsored Content: Smarter Response, Safer Cities: Real Results from DFR Programs
Law enforcement leaders across the country are facing a shared challenge: how to maintain (and improve) public safety with diminishing resources. Chronic staffing shortages, often in the hundreds of officers, have stretched departments thin, forcing difficult decisions about where and how to deploy personnel. Amid these constraints, more agencies are deploying a solution that doesn’t depend solely on putting more officers on the streets. They’re turning to Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs and Real-Time Investigation Centers (RTICs) to make existing personnel more effective. In San Francisco, where the department is short 500 officers, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has responded with a strategy centered on DFR and real-time intelligence.
The outcome? Data that’s hard to ignore.
SFPD’s RTIC: Data-driven results
Since launching in 2024, SFPD’s RTIC & DFR program have helped deliver1:
- 30% drop in overall crime in 2025
- 42% reduction in auto theft
- 500+ arrests, including:
- 166 stolen vehicle recoveries
- 80 robbery arrests
These aren’t just crime statistics—they reflect a fundamental shift in how the SFPD addresses crime in progress.
"I think we're just scratching the surface. This is probably one of the most significant paradigm shifts in policing that I've seen in my police career." —Captain Thomas Maguire, SFPD
Faster, smarter response
From the moment a 911 call is placed, it can take 5-10 minutes for ground units to arrive, depending on traffic, time of day, and call volume. In those minutes, the crime may no longer be in progress, suspects may flee, and the opportunity for a timely resolution can slip away.
With DFR, that gap closes quickly.
In many deployments, drones are overhead in less than 90 seconds, often before an officer has been assigned to the call. Over the last year, Redmond (WA) Police Department’s DFR program average time to scene with a drone for Priority 1 calls is 88 seconds, 48% faster than the average officer response. And for Priority 2 calls, drones arrive in one third the time of an officer.
This accelerated time of arrival provides dispatchers, responding officers, and command staff with immediate situational awareness, enabling them to observe suspects in the act, track their movements in real time, and direct officers safely to the scene, as seen in this organized retail theft apprehension in San Francisco.
SFPD Captain Maguire noted, “In this case, when you’re able to solve something within the first five minutes, recover all the property, your case is that much stronger.”
Reducing risk and increasing efficiency
DFR doesn’t just support arrests. It improves officer availability and strengthens cases with real-time evidence capture.
In one notable case, a drone followed a stolen vehicle throughout city streets while the suspect cold-plated the vehicle and tinted the windows. Officers used spike strips to deflate the tires and effected an arrest within an hour of the original call. The drone captured the suspect’s movements in real time, providing investigators and prosecutors with high-quality video to support the case.
SFPD looks to reduce crime with new technology department, drones
DFR reduces unnecessary officer dispatches. Chief Darrell Lowe of the Redmond Police Department reports that drones arriving on scene allow them to cancel officer response 25% of the time, freeing units for higher-priority incidents or proactive community engagement.
Other real-world stories include:
- A man in crisis on a rooftop was safely located by the drone, allowing Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers to engage and de-escalate the situation.
- A drone was deployed from a dock to locate a subject in a battery. The operator was able to quickly identify the female subject and direct officers to her location. The suspect was apprehended without incident.
- A drone was deployed to an incident at a bar in which the subject fled in his vehicle. The drone located the subject, maintaining visual and avoiding a vehicle pursuit with ground units, before he crashed into another vehicle and fled on foot. The suspect was quickly apprehended.2
Broader applications: A tool for the entire public safety ecosystem
DFR isn’t just for police. Fire and law enforcement often respond to the same calls, whether it’s a traffic collision, hazardous situation, or medical emergency. However, they usually arrive with different information, sourced from various callers and routed through separate dispatch systems. Disconnected information can result in delays, miscommunication, or missed opportunities to coordinate a more effective response.
With DFR arriving on the scene, the real-time information is streamlined and shared across all first responders. Everyone, whether in a patrol vehicle, fire engine, or command center, has access to the same view and situational context. In Oklahoma City (OKC), approximately 40% of DFR deployments are for fire-related calls, with either police or fire personnel operating the drone.3
A recent OKCPD deployment involved a call from a train engineer who believed he had struck someone but was unsure where the incident occurred. The RTIC immediately launched a drone from a Dock atop a nearby fire station. Within minutes, the operator located the injured person and guided fire and medical personnel to the scene, where they were able to render lifesaving aid. This multi-agency response demonstrates how DFR expands operational impact beyond law enforcement.
Better outcomes, restored trust
The success of DFR and RTIC demonstrates what’s possible when agencies prioritize real-time data and rapid response. These tools don’t replace first responders. They multiply their impact.
As law enforcement leaders look toward the future, the question isn’t whether departments can afford to invest in these capabilities—it’s whether they can afford not to, in a time when every second, every officer, and every resource counts. Smarter policing starts with smarter tools.
The promise of DFR is not just in the lives it saves, but in what it delivers: better outcomes, stronger communities, and a safer tomorrow.
"This technology is the future of policing for SFPD officers, using their training and judgment, supported by the best tools available to keep our communities safe. As we continue to fully staff the RTIC, using drones and first responders will be a force multiplier. It will give officers more support, and it will help ensure that every neighborhood benefits from smarter, faster, and more coordinated public safety." —Mayor Daniel Lurie4
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