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Fairfax County’s rapidly expanding police drone program took center stage during a federal visit Friday, April 24, as the technology’s manufacturer announced a $3.5 billion investment in American production.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios visited the Fairfax County Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center at the county’s Public Safety Headquarters, 12099 Government Center Parkway.
Kratsios said drones could become a cornerstone of renewed American industrial capacity, pointing to Fairfax County’s combination of domestic technology and real-world public-safety operations as a model for the industry.
During the event, FCPD vendor Skydio unveiled “Sky Forge,” a five-year initiative intended to quintuple the size of its Hayward, California, factory and strengthen U.S. suppliers of essential components such as computer chips, motors and batteries.
Skydio co-founder and CEO Adam Bry said the effort will invest $3.5 billion, create thousands of jobs and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign drone suppliers, particularly those in China. He said customer demand, rather than newly raised outside capital, is driving the investment.
Fairfax County is among those customers. In March, the police department publicly launched its Drone as First Responder program, which dispatches Skydio aircraft from docking stations when police officers or Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel respond to crimes and emergencies.
Certified pilots operate the drones from the Real Time Crime Center, where personnel can also view surveillance camera feeds and automated license plate reader information. Police Chief Kevin Davis said the technology is fundamentally changing how the department operates and can produce safer outcomes for officers and residents.
The aircraft can reach a scene in less than 90 seconds and frequently arrive before personnel on the ground, Davis said. That early view can help officers understand unfolding events and calm situations that initially appear more dangerous or chaotic.
Earlier in April, police used a drone to follow a foot chase that ended with the arrest of a nude man accused of breaking into several Centreville homes.
In another response, a caller reported a man in a road median pointing a bow and arrow at passing vehicles. A drone arrived and showed that the man, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was waving a stick instead.
FCPD expects to operate drones from 18 launch sites across Fairfax County by this summer, with at least one at every district police station. Davis said locations will be selected using police and fire department data, with an emphasis on areas where crime and disorder occur most frequently.
Although FCPD will not directly receive any of Skydio’s newly announced investment, Real Time Crime Center commander Maj. Hudson Bull said the commitment gives the department confidence that its chosen vendor will continue improving the system.
Bull pointed to software updates that have increased drone speeds and shortened flight times as examples of upgrades that can immediately strengthen the county’s response capabilities.