BROOKHAVEN, Ga. - When someone calls 911 in Brookhaven, the first responder to get to the scene often isn’t an officer on the ground — it’s a drone in the air.

What we know:

Brookhaven Police have been using drones as part of their emergency response strategy for several years. Now, that program is getting a major upgrade.

"The faster you can get to a scene, the more information you can start gathering," said Sgt. Sam Jones with the Brookhaven Police Department. "There's been instances where we've actually caught crimes occurring in progress."

Launched in 2020, the department’s drone program has quickly become an integral part of its operations. The department says drones now arrive on scene within an average of 70 seconds and are the first to arrive 72% of the time.

Police say the

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