Commerce City Police Tries Drones As First Responders

A stolen motorcycle roared through Commerce City streets on a sunny July 9 afternoon, its rider unaware that a silent eye in the sky was tracking its every move. From hundreds of feet above, a police drone followed the suspect’s path in real time, relaying his location to officers on the ground. Within minutes, the chase ended without a crash or gunfire—revealing not just a stolen bike, but a convicted felon carrying large quantities of heroin and meth, a stolen handgun, and a stack of arrest warrants.

“The Commerce City Police Department yesterday utilized our Drones as First Responders program to track a wanted felon on a stolen motorcycle and safely take him into custody,” said the Commerce City Police in a written statement on July 10.

Although this may sound like science fiction, it has become a reality for Coloradoans since July, when the Commerce City Police Department launched a new Drones as First Responders program aimed at apprehending suspects and conducting safer arrests. The system keeps suspects from realizing they are being tracked by the police, making police pursuits safer for everyone involved.

“We want to keep the public as safe as possible,” said Jeremy Jenkins, a commander for the Commerce City Police Department who oversees the program. “This is geared towards not only our officers being safe but also keeping our citizens safe.”

When the Police receive a call about a potentially dangerous situation or the city’s FLOCK system goes off, they will deploy the drones. The drones are used before police officers arrive on the scene to help them approach scenes with better intel. In situations where they need to be used, the drones are directed by police officers with certificates to try and help mitigate situations. The drones are not used for random surveillance.

“You need a third eye on the situation when you deal with crime,” said Mayor Steven Douglas. “There’s a vehicle that takes off, and you have cars in pursuit; chasing that puts our citizens in danger and other folks who are on the road, not aware of what’s going on.” 

Douglas has been the Mayor of Commerce City since 2024 and believes that the program will be able to keep the public safer in the long run. Elected officials, including the Mayor and the City Council, work with the police to try and make the best decisions possible about public safety. The City Council approved a $150,000 annual contract with Paladin Drones last year. 

“There’s going to be analysis done, and if we are successful, this is really going to help our police department out in our community,” Douglas said. “We can go ahead and continue with the contract, or just start our own. So there’s a lot of options, and there’s also a lot of drone companies out there as well.”

One of the major reasons for the new program is officer safety. When police are forced into situations where they have to make arrests in real time without knowing how dangerous the scene can be, there are safety concerns.

“Absolutely, that’s one of the goals,” Jenkins said. “It all depends on the priority of the call, what that situation is going to be, and not to have drones for every call or priority, but basically on the ones that call for more of a backup situation and another set of eyes on the situation as well.”

While the new program has broad support, there are some concerns from civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, about drone usage and mass surveillance by police departments. These groups object to the constant surveillance and putting “police robotic devices above people’s homes and communities.”

“Yes, I can understand,” said Douglas, in response to these issues. “You know, a drone goes up and people wonder, ‘Why are they over my house or in my backyard?’ [but] it does follow rigorous and strict guidelines. There is privacy and safeguards. All operators follow FAA rules, local laws and there is no random surveillance. They must have a specific public safety purpose, [and] data retention is limited.”

Douglas added, “the pilots who are going to be flying these drones have to be certified, as far as training, accountability, and certified operators trained in privacy rules and FAA compliance. Every flight is logged, reviewed and audited.”

Because of these precautions, Douglas says he doesn’t have concerns about the Drones as First Responders program. The Mayor also says that the success of the program will be closely monitored and checked at every moment. 

“There’s also going to be a police report out to say exactly when the drones are dispatched and how that helps with the crime,” he said. Because of the transparency around the Drones as First Responders program, Jenkins feels that the community as a whole has broadly supported it. 

“We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community,” he said. “We continue to work hand in hand with our community to figure out the best solutions going forward,” he finished. Jenkins believes that working with the community to find ways to keep everyone safe is critically important, and this program has been supported for the most part. 

Other police departments in the state are closely monitoring Commerce City’s drone programs to determine if similar policies should be implemented. For instance, Castle Rock is planning on significant expansion of an already existing drone program by leasing two drones for over $200,000. In Denver, the police are working on a drone system to try and respond to certain 911 calls.

As the program moves forward, city leaders and police will work together to evaluate drones and their role in public safety. There is optimism within leadership, the police and the community that this will be a successful step going forward.

“This drone is another tool,” Douglas said. “We’re hoping it is very successful, so that’s why, when it comes to training accountability, everyone who’s operating these drones has to follow the rules. And you know, the first and foremost priority is safety first.”