Your Next 911 Call in Cedar Rapids Could Be Answered By a Drone

Someday in the not-too-distant future, a 911 call in Cedar Rapids could be answered by a drone.

Technology Upgrades for Cedar Rapids Police

KCRG reports that the Cedar Rapids Police Department is moving forward with plans for a real-time operations center after the city council this week approved a $14 million investment in new public safety technology. The investment will be used for items like body cameras, squad car cameras, Tasers, and yes...drones.

Police Looking for Technology to Assist Officers

Cedar Rapids Police Chief David Dostal told KCRG that historically, the department has struggled to keep pace with technology. A key part of the new project will be a series of drones that police plan to have ready to roll throughout the city. KCRG reports that police officials say that the goal is to have a first responder, or a drone, arrive at a scene within 120 seconds. Officials also stress that drones will NOT replace officers, but help assess a scene before they arrive.

Concerns About Privacy Have Been Raised

The drone program has raised some concerns about privacy and surveillance outside of an emergency situation. KCRG reports that Cedar Rapids Police officials say that is not the intent of the upgrades, stating that police would "sit there and individually pick out people and follow them and surveil them, or that we would have the desire to do so is a stretch."

Officials say that the new operations center would also benefit other departments, including the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and Animal Care and Control.