CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Six weeks after the Chattanooga Police Department started sending drones to emergency calls, some of those drones are handling incidents without requiring an officer response at all.
Data on the department’s public dashboard on Oct. 9 showed the city’s two drones had responded 997 times since the pilot launched in late August, a count that includes test flights. In 188 of those deployments the drone was the first responder on the scene, and in 41 deployments, or 4%, the drone was the only police unit that needed to respond.
Department spokesperson Heather Holley said those calls are often non-emergencies or cases where the drone clears up incorrect information, such as a report of debris in the roadway that turns out to be off the road. She said the program is operating well but that it is still too early to judge its full impact.
The two drones sit at Chattanooga Fire Department stations four, at 2181 Curtis St., and nine, at 3250 8th Ave. The dock sites were chosen based on crime data showing where violent crime most often occurs, and each dock is mounted to a trailer so it can be moved as crime patterns shift. The FAA allows the drones to fly up to a 3-mile radius from the docks.
Trained operators in the department’s Real Time Intelligence Center launch the drones on 911 or police-generated calls, and the aircraft send live video to responding officers and commanders. Department policy bars using the drones for routine patrol or general surveillance, and every flight is mapped on the public dashboard.
The program builds on a drone unit the department started in 2022 with four operators. In 2026 it has 13 certified drone operators and 21 smaller drone platforms used at crash scenes, SWAT calls and special events.
