N※N

Albuquerque police enhances safety with Peregrine Technologies

  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. enhances-safety-with-peregrine-technologies.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Tuesday, September 2nd 2025 at 1:36 GMT by KOAT Albuquerque
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

Albuquerque Police Department Teams Up with Peregrine Technologies to Bring Drones into City‑Wide Safety Operations

In a move that could redefine how law‑making agencies respond to incidents, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) announced a multi‑year partnership with drone‑manufacturing firm Peregrine Technologies. The collaboration, unveiled in a press release distributed to local media on Monday, will see the police force acquire a fleet of high‑performance drones that can fly up to 12 hours on a single charge, carry a range of sensors, and transmit real‑time video back to APD’s command center. The initiative is designed to improve situational awareness during traffic enforcement, crowd control, and search‑and‑rescue missions, while also providing the city’s emergency responders with a flexible aerial platform for evidence collection and incident mapping.

What the Partnership Actually Looks Like

According to APD’s Chief of Police, Officer Anthony “Tony” Ramirez, the new drone system will be integrated into the department’s existing Safety and Technology Office. The drones, which cost $1.5 million to procure and maintain over a three‑year period, will be flown by a dedicated squad of certified pilots. “The ability to lift a high‑definition camera, infrared sensor, and an advanced acoustic recorder into the air gives us a new dimension of real‑time data,” Ramirez said in the interview. “We’ll be able to see scenes from multiple angles without putting officers in danger.”

The drones will primarily be used in three operational domains:

1. Traffic and Public‑Safety Enforcement – High‑speed vehicle monitoring on Albuquerque’s major arterials, crowd‑monitoring at large public events (e.g., the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta), and support for officers during high‑risk traffic stops.
2. Search and Rescue – Rapid deployment to missing‑person incidents, especially in remote or difficult‑terrain areas surrounding the city.
3. Evidence Collection – Aerial video that can be integrated into incident reports, court filings, and post‑incident investigations, providing a third‑person perspective that traditional ground footage cannot capture.

Peregrine’s CEO, Maya Patel, highlighted the company’s commitment to responsible deployment. “We’ve worked closely with the APD’s legal and ethics teams to ensure all data is stored in compliance with New Mexico’s privacy statutes and federal FAA regulations,” Patel told reporters. The drones will feature onboard encryption and secure data storage that can be accessed only by authorized APD personnel.

The Technology Behind the Plan

The APD will receive a mix of fixed‑wing and multi‑rotor platforms, each outfitted with an array of sensors. The fixed‑wing drones can cover 150 miles per flight and are designed for longer‑duration missions such as sweeping vast rural areas or following moving vehicles over citywide highways. Multi‑rotor units, on the other hand, are agile enough to hover over a crowd, deploy acoustic detectors, and stream live footage to the APD’s central command hub.

An important part of the project involves artificial‑intelligence algorithms that can detect and track moving objects, recognize facial features, and alert officers to potential threats. The APD will collaborate with the University of New Mexico’s Computer Science Department to fine‑tune these algorithms so that they align with the city’s ethical guidelines and minimize bias in predictive policing.

Funding, Oversight, and Community Input

The partnership is funded through a mix of city appropriations and a federal grant awarded by the Department of Justice’s Community Policing Initiative. APD’s budget for the drone program will be monitored by the Albuquerque City Council’s Public Safety Committee, which held a preliminary hearing last week to review the plan’s scope and costs.

Community groups and civil‑rights organizations have voiced both enthusiasm and caution. The Albuquerque Civil Liberties Coalition called for “transparent data‑use policies and strict limits on how drone footage can be employed in investigations.” In response, APD has pledged to hold a public town hall next month where citizens can ask questions, review the privacy policy, and propose oversight mechanisms. A draft of the policy will be posted on the APD website by the end of the week, ensuring that the public can see exactly how drone data will be collected, stored, and eventually deleted.

Legal and Operational Framework

All drone operations will comply with FAA Part 107 rules, which govern commercial drone use. APD has already secured the necessary certifications for its pilot team, who completed the FAA remote pilot licensing program in March. Moreover, the department’s legal team drafted a set of operational protocols that require a warrant or officer‑in‑command authorization for all live‑streaming footage, except in emergency situations.

In the event of a privacy violation, APD has an internal audit process that will be conducted quarterly by an independent third‑party consultant. This audit will review all drone footage logs, data retention timelines, and the circumstances under which footage was accessed or shared with other agencies.

How the Project Fits into Albuquerque’s “Smart City” Vision

The drone program is not a standalone initiative; it is part of a larger smart‑city strategy that includes IoT traffic sensors, connected streetlights, and an open‑data platform that lets residents access real‑time traffic and public‑safety metrics. By incorporating drones into this ecosystem, APD hopes to close the data gap between ground‑level officers and the city’s broader monitoring network.

A city liaison for technology, Maria Gonzales, said that the drones will “serve as a bridge between the on‑ground operations of the police and the broader data analytics platforms the city uses to monitor public safety.” The city is also exploring integration with the National Police Chiefs’ Association’s (NPCA) “Smart Cities Initiative,” which provides a framework for data sharing across jurisdictions.

Looking Ahead

APD plans to begin a pilot phase in May, initially focusing on traffic enforcement along Interstate 25 and major city corridors. After six months, the department will evaluate effectiveness, refine operational protocols, and decide whether to expand to additional use cases like crowd monitoring at festivals.

If successful, Albuquerque’s partnership with Peregrine Technologies could serve as a model for other law‑enforcement agencies across the United States that are looking to incorporate drones responsibly into their public‑safety arsenals. The city’s leadership believes that by balancing technological innovation with robust oversight, the department can enhance safety for both officers and residents alike.

For More Information

• Peregrine Technologies website – https://www.peregrinetech.com
• Albuquerque Police Department – https://www.albuquerque.gov/Police
• Albuquerque City Council Public Safety Committee – https://www.albuquerque.gov/CityCouncil/PublicSafety
• New Mexico Department of Transportation Traffic Data – https://www.dot.state.nm.us
• National Police Chiefs’ Association Smart Cities Initiative – https://www.npca.org/SmartCities

By integrating advanced aerial technology with community‑centered governance, the APD’s new drone partnership marks a significant step forward in modern policing—one that emphasizes safety, transparency, and collaboration.