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Drone tech is really taking off at the NYPD.
The nation’s largest police department has spent tens of thousands of dollars on top-of-the-line tactical drones so far this year — and is exploring using the new technology to help cops answer 911 calls in the future, The Post has learned.
City records show the NYPD recently put in orders for a number of new aerial bots from Brinc Inc., a Seattle-based company that boasts plans of one day creating drones that will “quickly and effectively” respond to emergencies, even before law enforcement.
The purchase of the Lemur 2 quad-copters — devices equipped with thermal imaging and night vision and designed to serve as the first line of SWAT — is the latest investment in policing tech by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
The purchases — as well as a previously unreported multimillion-dollar investment by the NYPD into two social media tracking tools — is raising eyebrows among lawmakers and privacy advocates who say guardrails could be needed for the department’s new use of policing tech.
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