MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS News) - Drones are becoming increasingly popular among police and fire departments across the country, and several Tennessee cities are testing the unmanned aircraft to determine whether they are a practical fit for local emergency response operations. Murfreesboro Police Chief Michael Bowen stated...

Some departments in larger cities, including Nashville, are in the middle of active trial programs. The Metro Nashville Police Department is using three drones during 45 flight days to respond to police and fire calls for service. By the end of this month, the department will have participated in its Drone as First Responder, or DFR, trial for nine full weeks.

In many instances, authorities are finding that a drone can arrive at or above an incident before officers reach the scene. That early aerial view can provide real-time information and help guide a safer and more effective response.

In Murfreesboro, a drone as a first responder demonstration was well received...

Similar testing is taking place approximately 30 to 40 minutes north of Murfreesboro in Mt. Juliet, where police have highlighted the ability of drones to collect live aerial footage during emergencies and active incidents.

According to officials, “Drones are pre-positioned at launch locations throughout the city,” allowing each aircraft to be dispatched to a specific call for service or known event.

Authorities also emphasized, “They are not used for random patrols.”

Mt. Juliet officials report that drones in the program have an average response time of approximately 86 seconds. The aircraft can cover calls up to 3.5 miles away and travel at speeds reaching 60 mph, offering emergency personnel a rapid view of developing situations.

In Nashville, the trial is intended to determine whether drones could become a long-term public-safety tool throughout Davidson County. The limited program began Tuesday, May 26, with all three drones stationed on the roof of the Madison Metro Police Precinct building. Each aircraft is available to respond to calls within a two-mile radius of the precinct.

Drone deployments may be authorized for active criminal investigations, traffic crashes, searches for missing or endangered people, disaster response, tactical incidents, crime-scene documentation and other situations involving an immediate threat to public safety.

Nashville’s policy prohibits drones from being armed, used with facial-recognition technology or deployed to monitor people lawfully exercising First Amendment rights without evidence that criminal activity is occurring or about to occur. The policy also prohibits recording in places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy unless officers have a warrant or another legally recognized exception.

For Murfreesboro, Capt. Clayton Williams said that drones being used in a first responder program could prove to be a positive tool in the world of crime fighting... He said he is interested in reviewing the results of the trial programs underway in both Nashville and Mt. Juliet.

Mt. Juliet appears to be in an implementation and testing phase and is already leasing drones for its first responder program. Nashville, meanwhile, remains in the evaluation stage.

The three drones and related equipment being used in Nashville were loaned to the Metro Police Department by Skydio for the duration of the trial. At the conclusion of the program, MNPD is expected to compile the collected data and issue a report detailing the drones’ performance and overall effectiveness.

Drone operations in Mt. Juliet and Nashville are conducted by FAA-certified pilots. Participating officers have also received specialized training in drone operations, aviation regulations, emergency procedures and the lawful collection and handling of aerial video.

• See drone flight paths in Nashville over the past 25-flights HERE.
• See Mt. Juliet flight paths for their drone use HERE.