Drones will soon act as eyes in the skies for Denton’s police and fire departments.
The new Drone as First Responder pilot program was announced by Denton PD Wednesday, and began operations Thursday.
According to the department, the program is designed to improve emergency response times, enhance public safety and provide real-time information when responding to 911 calls.
“When someone calls 911, every second matters,” said Interim Police Chief Tony Salas. “The DFR pilot program allows officers and firefighters to arrive on scene with improved situational awareness, helping us keep Denton safe for everyone.”
Members of the department who are certified drone pilots will use Skydio X10 DFR drones, which are also used by the Lewisville Police Department, to respond quickly to traffic crashes, missing persons, in-person robberies and structure fires.
The DFR pilot program is an expansion of the city’s existing Joint Public Safety Uncrewed Aircraft System Program, which began in 2022 with officers and firefighters transporting drones to scenes themselves.
First responders were able to search for critically missing people, mapping of major traffic crashes and fires, overwatch of prescribed burns and more.
The pilot program will house drones at docking stations where they will remain powered until they need to be deployed. When launched, certified pilots will fly the drones directly to the scene of a call and transmit live video feeds to the pilots in Denton’s 911 Dispatch Center.
According to Denton PD, each drone flight will be tied to a 911 call for service, and all of the data will be recorded and released in a transparency dashboard for the public’s view.
More information on Denton’s program can be found at the city’s website.
In December 2025, Flower Mound PD was able to arrest a suspect in an assault case with the help of a drone after the suspect fled the scene.
