Taylor Police Department is set to become Michigan’s first law enforcement agency to deploy autonomous flight drones, aiming to enhance officer safety and speed up emergency response times.
“We can send this out to give us an eye in the sky, a huge advantage to our officers responding and to those who are on scene,” said Taylor Police Chief John Blair.
The drone is launched from a pad atop the department’s headquarters on Goddard Road. When a 911 call is received, officers drop a pin on a map marking the incident location, triggering a signal that activates the drone. According to Lieutenant Jeff Adamisin, the drone takes about 60 seconds to power up before ascending to a set altitude and autonomously flying to the designated area.
As it flies, the drone collects real-time information about the scene and coordinates with other first responders, giving officers a clearer understanding of the situation before arriving.
Devin Kachar, who was paralyzed after being shot in the line of duty in Detroit three years ago, welcomed the new technology. “A device like that, that doesn’t have to worry about getting hurt or injured in the line of duty, it’s just a material thing that can be replaced. It’s nice to know those are up there helping you, getting you different images, increasing the safety of what you’re doing every day in your job,” he said.
Both Blair and Adamisin emphasized that the drone is not intended for surveillance but rather to support a quicker, safer, and more efficient police response.
“It’s a timesaver, officer safety, citizen safety—all rolled up into one,” Blair said.
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