Fairfax County police can now launch drones to emergency scenes while 911 callers are still on the line, thanks to new artificial intelligence technology at the department's Real Time Crime Center.
The Fairfax County Police Department announced Thursday that its RTCC has implemented AI that continuously transcribes 911 calls in real time, identifies qualifying incidents and alerts operators to deploy a Drone as a first responder before dispatchers finish the standard call process. The system covers all nine county police districts, meaning drones can now be deployed to incidents in McLean and Great Falls.
The technology, built on Axon's Prepared platform, is trained on Fairfax County's own dispatch protocols. When it flags an incident, RTCC staff can launch a drone that streams aerial video to officers and firefighters en route, giving them a live picture of what they're heading into.
"Using AI to identify critical information from 911 calls in real time allows us to deploy resources faster, improve situational awareness and provide responders with the information they need to make better decisions," Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a statement.
The expansion also permanently assigns Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel to the RTCC as part of a long-term pilot program. According to the announcement, the arrangement lets fire crews arrive on scene with better information about what's waiting for them.
The system can also send callers a secure link to voluntarily share live video, photos or their location with responders. Dispatchers remain in control of all dispatch decisions. The AI functions as a support tool, not a replacement for 911 professionals.
Residents who want to support FCPD investigations can register home security cameras at connectfairfaxcounty.org. For emergencies, call 911. The non-emergency police line is 703-691-2131.
