[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-flocks-911-response-drones-spread-as-privacy-pushback-grows":10,"sections":35},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":24,"tags":25,"sources":30,"feedback":34,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":34,"total_tokens":34},9833,"flocks-911-response-drones-spread-as-privacy-pushback-grows","Flock's 911 Response Drones Spread as Privacy Pushback Grows","Cities are adopting rooftop drones that respond to 911 calls faster than officers, but many are rejecting the program over surveillance and data-sharing fears.","Drones are now the first units dispatched to some 911 calls, and the fight over them is about trust, not technology.\n\nFlock's Drones-as-First-Responder system launches camera-equipped drones from rooftop docks automatically after a 911 call, a license-plate-reader hit, or a gunshot-detection alert, then streams live video to dispatchers and officers. The capability came from Flock's acquisition of drone maker Aerodome, whose hardware includes high-definition and thermal cameras. Fort Worth's two-month pilot sent a drone to 162 calls, with an average response time of 112 seconds; it beat officers to the scene 76 times and let police clear 11 calls without sending anyone at all. Castle Rock, Colorado; Dunwoody and Fulton County, Georgia; and Middletown, Connecticut have also piloted, considered, or signed on for the service, while a separate startup is pitching a Starlink-connected version that can fly beyond its base station's range.\n\nThe real story is trust, not hardware. Berkeley turned down a $2 million expansion of its camera network to include drones, Bridgeport rejected a $500,000 drone lease, and Middletown's own mayor refused to sign a contract after the city had already approved a trial. The common thread is fear that footage could reach federal agencies, including ICE, without a warrant, though Flock disputes that and hasn't fully dispelled it given the company's recent security controversies.\n\nMiddletown's police chief insists the drones exist for response, not surveillance, and that unused footage is deleted within 30 days. That promise rests entirely on policy, not on the drone itself. That's exactly why some cities aren't buying it.","[\"drones\",\"privacy\",\"surveillance\",\"policing\"]","2026-10-02T13:20:00.000Z","2026-10-05T08:39:18.544Z","2026-10-05T08:39:23.099Z","published",null,[],"policy",[26,27,28,29],"drones","privacy","surveillance","policing",[31],{"name":32,"url":33},"Tom's Hardware","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tomshardware.com\u002Ftech-industry\u002Fdrones\u002Fflock-drones-with-cameras-deployed-as-first-responders-in-some-us-cities-amid-privacy-concerns-uavs-connect-to-wider-emergency-services-system-and-streams-video-to-dispatchers-officers",0,{"sections":36},[37,42,46,50,55,60,64,69,74,79,84,89,94,99],{"name":38,"slug":39,"count":40,"latest_published_at":41},"AI","ai",6151,"2026-10-05T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":43,"slug":44,"count":45,"latest_published_at":41},"Security","security",859,{"name":47,"slug":24,"count":48,"latest_published_at":49},"Policy",444,"2026-10-03T15:02:01.000Z",{"name":51,"slug":52,"count":53,"latest_published_at":54},"Deals","deals",323,"2026-10-04T13:00:00.000Z",{"name":56,"slug":57,"count":58,"latest_published_at":59},"Hardware","hardware",204,"2026-10-03T14:50:50.000Z",{"name":61,"slug":62,"count":63,"latest_published_at":41},"Science","science",177,{"name":65,"slug":66,"count":67,"latest_published_at":68},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",158,"2026-10-03T03:21:12.000Z",{"name":70,"slug":71,"count":72,"latest_published_at":73},"Software","software",97,"2026-10-04T10:00:00.000Z",{"name":75,"slug":76,"count":77,"latest_published_at":78},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",96,"2026-10-01T16:57:03.000Z",{"name":80,"slug":81,"count":82,"latest_published_at":83},"Startups","startups",92,"2026-10-04T14:36:25.000Z",{"name":85,"slug":86,"count":87,"latest_published_at":88},"Gaming","gaming",53,"2026-10-02T02:50:39.000Z",{"name":90,"slug":91,"count":92,"latest_published_at":93},"General","general",51,"2026-10-05T02:35:01.000Z",{"name":95,"slug":96,"count":97,"latest_published_at":98},"Reviews","reviews",32,"2026-10-02T18:00:00.000Z",{"name":100,"slug":101,"count":102,"latest_published_at":103},"How-To","how-to",7,"2026-10-01T09:00:00.000Z"]