Georgia Institute of Technology recently became one of the first colleges in the U.S. to roll out a drone program that enhances campus security.

Atlanta

Georgia Tech has implemented autonomous drones as part of its campus security measures, making it the first university to use Flock Safety's Alpha drone. The technology is intended to provide rapid and accurate information to campus police, aiding in the assessment and response to incidents.

The drones, equipped with advanced cameras and radar, can autonomously avoid obstacles and read license plates from significant distances. While the initiative is seen as a valuable tool for enhancing safety, privacy advocates have expressed concerns about surveillance and the lack of clear regulations governing drone use.

Georgia Tech uses drones to enhance campus security

Georgia Tech always moves and always pushes the envelope in technology. For Chief Robert Connelly, it only makes sense to weave in the latest gadgets to police the campus of Georgia Tech. Every time we add something new, everyone has to get trained on it. He's patrolled the 450-acre Atlanta-based university for 15 years. It's been home to several high-profile security events, including a presidential debate. What are the challenges that come with policing a university in the middle of a metropolitan area? At times, the city can have events that actually trigger that we have to know right away. And with this new drone capability, with the autonomous drone capability, we will get information fast and accurate. Nationwide, college campuses have also been the scenes of active shooters, including the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. We'll never know if drones could have detected that shooter, but Connelly says Georgia Tech's new drone, Alpha, will be another tool in the department's toolbox. So it is another set of eyes that forwards for officers, so we can assess it, supervisors can assess what resources are needed. Flock Safety is the public safety company behind the drone. Garrett Langley is founder and CEO. It's hard not to imagine how a drone could have been helpful. A drone could have been helpful in preventing, in having a faster response. Tech devices have been helpful in several notable cases, including the license plate readers that flagged the car of the would-be assassin who targeted President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year. However, privacy advocates have expressed surveillance concerns about the broader technology. It's a topic we asked Langley about. You call 911, drone's going to get launched, it's going to fly to your house, it's looking straight out until it gets on scene, then it looks down. And there's no regulation for this. Who would actually love some support from the federal government or local governments of how should this be done? Right now, approximately 40 of Flock's Alpha drones have already shipped. Georgia Tech's police department is the first at a university to get one. The drone can hover up to 400 feet, with radar that allows it to autonomously avoid objects. Its advanced camera can read a license plate from 2,000 feet away, and it can reach up to 60 miles per hour. It's got to be reliable. This is a tool that's going to be used for life-saving missions. It can't not work. Because for police departments, responding to crime in communities and on college campuses, every second counts.

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