Everett-area residents calling 911 could see a drone overhead before a deputy arrives.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office launched a five-week Drone as First Responder (DFR) pilot on Tuesday, Sept. 15, placing four drones in the southern part of the county where call volume is highest.

The program builds on Everett's own head start. The Everett City Council voted 5-1 in April 2025 to partner with Flock Safety for a DFR pilot, making Everett the first city in Snohomish County and the second in Washington after Redmond to adopt the technology. The Everett Police Department began flying DFR missions in October 2025 and has said drones could cut some response times by as much as 63%, to under 90 seconds, according to the Lynnwood Times.

Now the sheriff's office is testing the concept countywide. It partnered with California-based drone maker Skydio and the county's dispatch center, Snohomish County 911 (SNO911), for a free trial expected to run through mid-October. Dispatchers will be able to launch a drone to an address within seconds of a 911 call. The aircraft can reach a scene in minutes, giving deputies live video before they arrive.

Sgt. Brad Dawes, who supervises the sheriff's drone unit, said the speed difference is dramatic. He told the Daily Herald a drone could launch within 30 seconds, reach a scene in two minutes and resolve a situation before a patrol deputy even responds. "I mean, I would classify that as a significant success," Dawes said.

The sheriff's office said the drones would be used for crimes in progress, searches for fleeing suspects, missing-person cases, traffic collisions and rescues.

The aircraft will not be used for general surveillance or random scouting flights. Each mission must be tied to a 911 call or other public-safety operation.

Video recording begins the moment a drone takes off. The camera points toward the horizon during transit and activates only when the aircraft reaches the call location.

The sheriff's office holds a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Waiver or Authorization for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. Flight records are posted on a public transparency portal at app.airdata.com/u/scso.

The office already has about 20 trained drone pilots on staff. Deputies have flown drones in support of patrol work since 2019, but those required a pilot to drive to the scene and launch manually.

Dawes said success won't be measured by arrest counts. The office plans to look for specific examples of drones providing a benefit before deciding whether to expand the program.

Funding across the county

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded Everett PD $38,199 for first responder drone operations, My Everett News reported on Aug. 13. The Lynnwood Police Department received a $2.5 million state public-safety grant in July that includes about $399,000 earmarked for its own DFR program.

SNO911 tested DFR technology with Skydio and other vendors during a one-week trial in August 2025. Partner agencies logged 194 drone dispatches, 230 flights and 76 incidents in which a drone arrived before ground units.

Participating agencies will review results after the pilot wraps up in mid-October.