Flock Safety Expands Into Drones for Law Enforcement with Acquisition of Aerodome
Monday, October 21st, 2024
Flock Safety, a leader in public safety technology, today announced the acquisition of Aerodome, a pioneer in Drone as First Responder (DFR) technology. This strategic move brings Aerodome’s best-in-class drone and remote piloting software under the Flock Safety umbrella, enhancing the company’s mission to improve community safety and reduce crime through technology solutions for law enforcement.
This acquisition accelerates Flock Safety’s plan to introduce a suite of American-made, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)-compliant drones, set to be released over the next 12 months.
DFR technology enables law enforcement agencies to improve response times and officer safety by immediately deploying drones to critical incidents, providing faster intelligence and situational awareness. With Flock Safety’s existing suite of rapid-response solutions — including license plate recognition (LPR) cameras, gunshot detection sensors, and FlockOS® Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) software — the addition of DFR enables agencies to identify and respond to threats faster than ever before.
“Anyone who’s seen a drone-as-first-responder program in action knows that this technology will play a central role in the future of public safety,” said Garrett Langley, Founder and CEO of Flock Safety. “No other technology helps law enforcement officers get eyes on the scene faster than a drone. By combining Aerodome’s best-in-class DFR technology with Flock Safety’s existing suite of rapid response solutions, we’re taking a big step forward in our mission to protect communities and eliminate crime."
Leading in DFR Technology
Aerodome has built the industry’s most advanced DFR system, which offers significant advancements over traditional drone technology. Along with fully-automated battery swapping docking stations, the Aerodome software’s ability to detect and avoid nearby aircraft allows agencies to safely operate drones beyond visual range and without the need for a human observer. This system ensures that law enforcement agencies can immediately respond to incidents using fewer resources and reducing operating costs, all while maintaining airspace awareness and safety.
"My team and I are thrilled to join forces with Flock to take emergency drone response to the next level,” said Rahul Sidhu, co-founder of Aerodome who will become the VP of Aviation at Flock. “By tightly integrating DFR 2.0 technology into the Flock Safety rapid response product suite, we can accelerate adoption of DFR across public safety to save lives and make communities safer.”
“Our Aerodome DFR program, which we just launched a few months ago, has already allowed us to respond to real-time emergency situations faster and with more precision," said Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther, who spearheaded the launch of its DFR program earlier this year. "The integration between Aerodome's best-in-class technology and Flock Safety's suite of collaborative policing tools will transform our Real-Time Crime Center, empowering our first responders to protect lives and shape a safer Scottsdale."
Accelerating American-Made Drone Systems
Flock Safety also announces its commitment to introduce a suite of American-made drones to be released over the next 12 months. These new drones will be fully compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), ensuring top-tier security and data protection while meeting federal requirements for law enforcement use. This compliance guarantees operational reliability and enables access to federal funding.