FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — On Tuesday, the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) hosted a demonstration to showcase the use of police drones for the FWPD’s Air Support Unit First Responder Program.

Officers provided a quick overview of the program and then performed a demonstration where an FWPD pilot operated a drone remotely.

An FWPD Air Support Unit pilot controls a police drone remotely with a PlayStation 5 controller. The FWPD hosted a demonstration Tuesday to highlight the use of drones for its First Responder Program.

The drone and another officer started on the roof of the nearby Three Rivers apartment complex, and the drone could be seen flying and responding to calls for service near downtown Fort Wayne.

Matt Rowland, an FWPD officer within the Air Support Unit, said data has shown drones have arrived to the scene of an incident faster than officers roughly 72% of the time.

“Then, we’re able to take that information and relay it back to officers so that they have more information, so that it can deescalate and give them what they need to know before they get there,” Rowland said.

The demonstration lasted about an hour.