New York City police will send drones to sites of reported robberies and gunshots

Summary

The NYPD announced an expansion of its “Drone as First Responder” program, using drones to respond to robberies and alerts from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system with a high error rate.

The drones will provide real-time video and audio to officers, aiding in investigations, crowd monitoring, and emergency responses.

Civil liberties groups have raised privacy concerns, especially as ShotSpotter has been criticized for inaccuracies and for disproportionately targeting Black and brown neighborhoods.

Other cities, like Chicago and Durham, have already moved to end or review their ShotSpotter contracts.