Aerial law enforcement agencies gain drone market access
Axon, which specializes in connected public safety technologies, and Skydio, a US-based drone manufacturer, have announced a strategic partnership to offer Skydio’s autonomous drones to law enforcement and emergency responders via Axon’s unmanned aircraft program, Axon Air
As a Skydio Elite Partner, Axon will be the exclusive reseller and digital evidence management partner of Skydio’s products to public safety globally. In addition, the two companies are working on a joint product roadmap that, in the coming months, will lead to the integration between Skydio drones and Axon Air, Axon Evidence, and Axon Respond. More and more police agencies around the world are making use of unmanned vehicles for incident response, search and rescue, and evidence gathering. AirMed&Rescue will be examining the increasing rate of uptake among public safety professionals around the world in our next Aerial Law Enforcement Edition in July 2021.
Giving aerial law enforcement agencies more resources
The partnership between Axon and Skydio signifies a shift in how public safety agencies can leverage small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) for real-time situational awareness and evidence management. Drone-captured imagery will be manageable and shareable for agencies and live alongside corresponding body camera video in Axon’s digital evidence management platform, Axon Evidence. Through the integration with Axon’s real-time operations platform, command staff and 911 dispatchers will be able to access live-streamed views from on-the-ground body cameras and drone footage, providing a more comprehensive picture of an incident. Additionally, Skydio’s flight autonomy engine and 3D adaptive scanning software, Skydio 3D Scan, will enhance public safety operations and efficiency by automating scans of crime and accident scenes to create accurate 3D reconstruction models.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen strong momentum of Skydio drones in public safety,” said Mark Cranney, Skydio COO. “We are excited to partner with Axon, the leader in connected public safety technologies and a company that shares our commitment to the responsible use of technology to keep communities safe, to accelerate this trend globally. The integration of Axon’s and Skydio’s market-leading solutions will deliver unprecedented value and unlock the full potential of autonomous drones for live aerial intelligence and accurate evidence management.”