By Adam Pagnucco.
Back in November, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) announced the launch of its Drone as First Responder Program. Almost immediately, the drone began assisting in arrests. As of this writing, the drone has responded to 181 calls, of which roughly one-third pertained to theft.
Yesterday, MCPD released the video below showing drone footage of alleged shoplifters who had fled from the Thayer Avenue Safeway in Downtown Silver Spring. The drone tracked the suspects and they were caught by police minutes later.
MCPD’s press release is reprinted below.
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MCPD Drone as First Responder in Action: Assists Officers in Apprehending Two Theft Suspects; Drone Footage Released
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Gaithersburg, MD – Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Station, with the assistance of the MCPD drone as first responder, also known as Raven 1, arrested 26-year-old Brandon Mark and 40-year-old Joseph Paul Lee, following an alleged theft that occurred at the Safeway grocery store in the 900 block of Thayer Avenue.
On Thursday, November 30, 2023, at approximately 6:15 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the location for the report of an assault.
Raven 1 quickly responded to the location and observed two suspects running out of the store in possession of merchandise. Raven 1 followed the suspects to Mayor Lane and Thayer Avenue and provided responding officers with the description and location of the suspects. Officers located the suspects, later identified as Mark and Lee, at the location and took them in custody. Mark and Lee identified themselves to officers with fictitious names. Through the law enforcement databases, officers determined their legal names.
Officers recovered the stolen merchandise and returned it to the Safeway staff.
Mark and Lee, both of Washington, D.C., were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where they were charged with theft and obstructing and hindering. Lee was released on a $100 unsecured personal bond. Mark was held without bond due to an arrest warrant out of Washington, D.C.
During the months of November and December 2023, Raven 1 responded to 159 calls in downtown Silver Spring, and was the first on scene for 121 calls (a seventy-six percent of total calls first on scene).
Raven had an average response time of one minute and twenty-one seconds and located 27 subjects/suspects.
Raven 1 canceled the need for patrol officers to respond to 22 calls and thirteen percent of the total DFR calls allowed 40 officers to go back in service or be redirected to other calls for service.
To obtain more information about Raven 1, please visit