Commander Jason Cokinos of the Montgomery County Police Department’s 3rd District (Silver Spring) shared the news of a retail theft and assault suspect who was tracked by a police drone and subsequently arrested. “As the saying goes… You can run but you can’t hide!” Cokinos said.
Per Cokinos, “Drone as First Responder (DFR) “RAVEN 1” quickly began tracking a fleeing retail theft and assault suspect in downtown Silver Spring. The suspect jumped a fence and hid in the backyard of a residence. RAVEN guided 3rd District officers in to make the arrest. The suspect was taken to our central processing and booked.”
This is the second arrest in as many days that involved assistance from the police drone, as Cokinos shared on Friday that “officers were alerted by a license plate reader to a stolen vehicle entering Silver Spring from Washington DC that tracked suspects downtown after they abandoned the stolen vehicle. The drone allowed officers to take time and formulate a safe arrest plan.”
Per police, “The Drone as First Responder program leverages Raven’s capabilities to reach the scene of a call for service, either before or in conjunction with patrol officers. This innovative approach aims to revolutionize emergency response by offering a real-time aerial perspective and strategic insights.
Raven’s operational objectives include:
- Assisting in the assessment of scenes and circumstances before officers arrive.
- Providing essential tactical information and situational awareness to enhance response safety.
- Contributing to the de-escalation of situations and improvement of overall response times.
- Addressing staffing shortages and assisting public safety efforts.”