Risky Situation At NoVA Mall Defused By Police Drone

FAIRFAX, VA — Fairfax County police used a new piece of technology in its crime solving arsenal to help calm a potentially unsafe situation outside Fair Oaks Mall recently, according to Chief Kevin Davis.

After receiving multiple reports of a man armed with a bow and arrow threatening people outside the mall, police activated a drone as part of its Drone as First Responder initiative. The pilot program operates out of two of the county's eight police stations.

"Right now, the average response time for a drone to a scene of an outdoor incident is under 90 seconds," Davis told 7News anchor Josh Chaplin on Thursday. "That drone goes up in the air, arrives at that outdoor scene in less than a minute and a half, on most occasions, and is able to feed in real time a video back not only to our Real Time Crime Center, but to our responding police officers."

As the first responder on the scene, the drone provides data to help the officers better position themselves upon arrival, according to Davis. Dispatchers can also assess whether fire and rescue personal are needed in order to render aid.

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The reports of a man with a bow and arrow outside a county mall prompted a priority response for service and multiple police cars with lights and sirens on were dispatched to investigate, Davis said.

"The drone gets there first, sees that there is a man there," he said. "He is doing something, but he's not armed with a bow and arrow. He's in a mental health crisis. He's armed with a stick, and he's simply pointing that stick. So, that allows our police officers to dial down their response, their emotions, their adrenaline. It's settled, and we have a better interaction with the person, and the likelihood for a use of force goes down, as well."

View 7News anchor Josh Chaplin's full interview with FCPD Chief Kevin Davis.