About a dozen police departmentents in the U.S. operate drone-as-first-responder programs

Good news! We need more of it! Lack of witnesses or evidence is one of the most common reasons why too many criminals get away unpunished or insufficiently punished! Let's catch the perpetrators in the act or follow them on their escape from the crime scene!

These programs will also help to keep police officers accountable for their actions!

I am afraid that exaggerated privacy concerns etc. will prevent or severely curtail the wider use of such programs!

I believe, the article did not mention the use of face recognition technology in conjunction with these drones. Would it not be cool if the suspect could be immediately on the spot be identified as e.g. a repeat offender or career criminal?

"In the skies above Chula Vista, California, where the police department runs a drone program 10 hours a day [only 10 hours a day???], seven days a week, [from four launch sites] ...

Chula Vista is one of a dozen departments in the US that operate what are called drone-as-first-responder programs, where drones are dispatched by pilots, who are listening to live 911 calls, and often arrive first at the scenes of accidents, emergencies, and crimes, cameras in tow. ..."

"... More than 1,500 departments across the country now use them, mostly for search and rescue as well as to document crime scenes and chase suspects. Their use is limited, in a majority of cases, by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which requires that police departments fly drones only within operators’ line of sight. But starting in 2019, the agency began offering BVLOS (“beyond visual line of sight”) waivers, opening up the possibility of longer flights, remote operation, and more efficient and expansive fleets.  ...
The FAA is widely expected to fully legalize BVLOS within the next few years, which would make it easier for other such programs to launch ...
the sheriff-elect in Las Vegas, Nevada, already announced plans to pre-position hundreds of drones citywide to respond rapidly to crimes and shootings.  ..."

Welcome to Chula Vista, where police drones respond to 911 calls | MIT Technology Review