NYC launches effort to expand drone use after NYPD’s 200th subway surfing bust: ‘Future of public safety’

Mayor Eric Adams wants more eyes in the sky.

The mayor this week announced a new “Drone Operations Committee” that will coordinate and expand official deployments of the aerial robots citywide.

The committee, overseen by Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, will “cement New York City’s position as a national leader” in the airborne technology, officials said in a press release.

“Drones are the future of public safety, and under Deputy Mayor Daughtry’s leadership, New York City’s first-ever Drone Operations Committee will take this technology to the next level,” Adams said in a statement.

“New Yorkers deserve to know that when there’s an emergency — whether it’s a terror threat, a protest, or a natural disaster.”

The announcement comes after the successful 2023 launch of the NYPD Technical Assistance Response Unit’s expanded drone program, which recorded it’s 200th subway surfing bust this month.

In that case, hair-raising police drone footage nabbed four youths climbing on top of a northbound 6 train as it crossed over the Westchester Avenue Bridge on July 10 — with all the subway surfers later busted.

Drones have also been deployed to keep a lookout for sharks at city beaches, track suspects who flee crime scenes and monitor large-scale public events in the five boroughs.

The mayor’s high-flying new committee will also coordinate the expansion of the NYPD’s “Drone as First Responder” initiative, which can send the bots to any city precinct within minutes.

“Our public safety strategy is built on interagency coordination, real-time intelligence, and the smartest technology available,” Daughtry said in a statement.

“Drones are a force multiplier — they give us eyes on the ground in seconds, help us coordinate evacuations, monitor critical infrastructure, and keep our first responders safe,” he added.