How FlyGuys and Flock Safety Are Partnering to Deter Crime
Communities everywhere are seeking smarter ways to keep neighborhoods safe. While traditional patrols and reactive policing remain important, modern technology offers law enforcement agencies tools that enable faster, more efficient, and proactive responses. This is where the partnership between FlyGuys and Flock Safety is making a real impact.
The Challenge of Crime Deterrence Today
For decades, communities relied heavily on street-level patrols and fixed surveillance cameras to deter and respond to crime. While effective to an extent, these methods have limitations: blind spots, delayed response times, and difficulty tracking suspects across large areas. As criminal activity evolves, so must the tools used to combat it.
And that’s where drones come in handy. By combining ground-based patrols with aerial intelligence, communities can now achieve a 360-degree view of safety, enabling law enforcement to act decisively and proactively.
Flock Safety: Transforming Public Safety
At the forefront of this movement is Flock Safety, the leader in public safety technology. Their platform combines License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras, AI-powered video analytics, and gunshot detection devices into a single, integrated system. These tools are trusted by over 6,000 communities and 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“Our mission is to help communities thrive by taking a proactive approach to crime prevention and enhancing public safety,” Rahul Sidhu, VP Aviation at Flock Safety. “We measure success by the real-world outcomes our law enforcement partners achieve, from solving crimes to recovering missing persons.”
The impact is tangible. Across the country, Flock Safety has helped safely recover over 1,000 missing individuals, including more than 100 children, underscoring the platform’s effectiveness.
FlyGuys: Bringing the Sky into Crime Deterrence
While traditional patrols provide essential coverage, they have limitations; officers can’t see around corners, behind fences, or cover large areas efficiently. That’s where the partnership between FlyGuys’ drone pilots, acting as visual observers, comes into play. Drones can arrive on scene faster than police vehicles, assess threats, and provide real-time intelligence. Using a network of professional drone pilots, FlyGuys deploys drones that can cover up to 38 square miles from a single location, providing real-time aerial intelligence that complements ground coverage.
The drones are equipped with high-resolution zoom cameras, thermal sensors, and laser range-finding capabilities, enabling law enforcement to locate suspects, identify vehicles, or assist in recovering missing persons, even in challenging conditions or at night.
“Through our partnership, FlyGuys and Flock Safety leverage Drone as First Responder (DFR) technology to deliver faster, more accurate situational awareness, enhancing safety, efficiency, and community trust,” explains Alex Jones, FlyGuys Sales Exec. “They can assess the situation, determine the level of threat, and allow officers to respond more safely and efficiently.”
How FlyGuys Supports Flock Safety Customers
FlyGuys acts as the operational backbone for Flock Safety’s drone solutions, ensuring drones are deployed safely, quickly, and in compliance with regulations. FlyGuys provides:
- Certified Visual Observers (VOs) who manage drone flights from rooftops, coordinating with officers in real time.
- Operational support during initial deployment, allowing agencies to use drones immediately while learning to operate independently.
- Integration with Flock Safety software, including live streaming, thermal imaging, and high-zoom capabilities.
- Coordination with law enforcement, so officers can focus on incident response while the FlyGuys VO oversees drone operation.
This partnership allows communities to leverage advanced drone technology without the logistical challenges, covering more ground and gaining actionable intelligence from the sky.
A Partnership That Covers All Angles
Together, Flock Safety and FlyGuys provide communities with comprehensive crime-solving and emergency response coverage. Flock Safety’s LPR cameras and AI analytics identify threats on the ground, while FlyGuys drones provide the speed, flexibility, and visibility that ground patrols alone can’t achieve.
Deploying drones for public safety requires more than just the technology; it requires trained and certified personnel. FlyGuys VOs handle FAA compliance, manage radar systems for drones flying up to 400 feet, and monitor drone docking and charging systems.
Having a certified VO ensures agencies can be proactive rather than reactive. The VO operates from a rooftop, maintaining constant communication with officers and guiding drones to assess incidents in real time. This approach reduces the number of officers needed on scene, increases automation, and builds trust in drone operations, all while allowing agencies to eventually operate drones independently.
Real World Examples
This partnership has already made a difference. In one instance, a suspected armed individual outside a restaurant turned out to be holding a lighter shaped like a gun. Thanks to aerial intelligence from a FlyGuys-deployed drone, officers were able to approach calmly, de-escalate the situation, and avoid unnecessary risk.
Another would-be threatening situation was avoided when someone called in to report a man walking in a neighborhood with what looked like a weapon. The deployed drone captured clear footage showing it was merely a gardener walking with his gardening shears. The information from the drone before police officers arrived at the scene allowed them to know exactly what they were coming into, rather than a highly intense scenario.
“Combining ground and aerial coverage ensures our communities are safer and law enforcement can respond more effectively,” says Sidhu. “Together with FlyGuys, we’re redefining what proactive public safety looks like.”
Communicating with the Community About Drones
Introducing drones into a community for crime prevention can raise questions and concerns. Transparency and education are key to building trust and support.
To establish transparency, Flock Aerodome software includes a Community Dashboard, where information such as flight reports and the types of calls responded to is automatically published. This ensures residents have easy access to real-time updates, helping them understand how drones are being used and reinforcing accountability.
- Explain the Purpose Clearly
Residents need to know that drones are deployed in response to incidents, not constantly monitoring neighborhoods. They help officers respond faster and safer, locate missing persons, and prevent violent encounters. - Emphasize Privacy Measures
Drones are restricted to public areas or specific incident locations, with strict data retention policies in place. Advanced technology ensures that unnecessary data is not collected. - Host Public Demonstrations
Agencies can invite the community to see drones in action, learn about VO roles, and witness how incidents are safely resolved. - Maintain Ongoing Communication
Updates via social media, newsletters, and local news help residents understand deployment frequency, purpose, and outcomes. - Involve Community Leaders
Neighborhood associations, schools, and business groups can advocate for the program, emphasizing safety, efficiency, and transparency.
Looking Ahead
The future of crime prevention lies in integrated, tech-enabled solutions. FlyGuys and Flock Safety are expanding capabilities to new venues like shopping centers, hospitals, and campuses, and continually enhancing AI and drone technology to provide faster, smarter insights.
For agencies considering drone integration, experts emphasize community engagement and transparency. By proactively sharing the benefits of aerial visibility—how it helps respond to emergencies, reduces crime, and keeps officers safer—communities are more likely to embrace these innovations.
As Crime Prevention Week reminds us, safety is a shared responsibility, and partnerships like FlyGuys and Flock Safety are leading the way with technology solutions that keep neighborhoods safer, smarter, and more connected.