The city of Boulder announced its expanded use of police drones and the opening of a new Public Safety Information Center on June 8 in an article released on the city of Boulder’s website. The center will share the same building as the Boulder Police Department (BPD) at 1805 33rd St. The city of Boulder claims the new center will help protect Boulder residents.
Boulder’s new center will centralize all first responder info and become home to Boulder’s Drones as First Responder (DFR) program. The center will use a program called Axon Fusus, which consolidates live info from police body cameras, Axon security cameras, police drones, real-time transcripts of 911 calls and when Axon-branded tasers are fired. Owners of private security cameras can also opt in to give BPD access to their cameras, and the feed will be added to the Axon Fusus database. Officers can see the live info on their phones and Mobile Data Terminals in their cars.
BPD has used the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program since 2017, but the DFR program is an expansion of the existing program. The UAS is manned by 10 pilots who train with Traffic, Investigations, Bomb Squad and SWAT. The team uses 17 different types of drones.
The new DFR program will add seven Skydio drones to its inventory and will be piloted from the center. These drones will be stationed in specific spots throughout the city. They also only have 30 minutes of flight time, as stated on the center’s FAQ website.
The new Skydio drones have been used by zionists to surveil Palestinians in Gaza during the ongoing genocide. They have the ability to navigate in areas where GPS doesn’t work and can track people using thermal imaging and facial recognition.
The announcement of more drones follows reports by University of Colorado Boulder student activists in Students for Justice in Palestine of seeing drones following them during meetings for around 30 minutes. CU Boulder stated it did not have any of its drones flying at that time.
BPD Commander Darren Fladung said in a report by KGNU that drones will be used during holiday events and protests. In KGNU’s radio report, he states that BPD used drones to surveil protestors at a “No Kings Day” protest who were planning on taking over a street.
The center will also support Boulder Fire-Rescue, Open Space and Mountain Parks, Utilities, Transportation and Mobility and Parks and Recreation with the DFR program. It will help these departments with risk assessment and emergencies.
“Drones give us a clear, real-time view of what’s happening at a scene…” said Police Chief Steve Redfearn in the articles announcing the new center. He claims they keep “our officers safer.”
Redfearn also helped in the lynching of the black 23-year-old Elijah McClain while he was captain of the Aurora Police Department.
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