Drone as First Responder Program Quickly Locates Missing Person
Published on February 20, 2026
Drone as First Responder Program Quickly Locates Missing and Endangered Alzheimer’s Patient
COMMERCE CITY, CO, February 19, 2026: The Commerce City Police Department’s Drone as First Responder Program was successfully utilized Tuesday to locate a missing and endangered elderly woman who suffered from Alzheimer’s just 24 minutes after her husband called 911 to report her gone.
The woman had wandered away from her residence in the 6600 block of East 62nd Avenue just before 7pm on Tuesday, February 17th. The temperature was approximately 44 degrees, and the 76-year-old was without a coat.
Officers knew time was of the essence, so operators in the Real-Time Crime Center deployed one of our drones, piloting it remotely from our police department headquarters. Using thermal imaging capabilities, they almost immediately located the woman walking in the middle of the northbound Highway 85 and Highway 2 interchange with traffic flying past her.
Our drone operator directed a ground unit to the woman’s location, and our officer contacted her within seconds. We called our EMS partners to ensure she was physically uninjured, and then we gave her a courtesy ride home where her grateful husband had been anxiously awaiting her return.
This happy reunion was made possible by teamwork and our innovative technology, which allowed us to find this individual before something tragic happened. Our DFR operators are now working in our Real-Time Crime Center from 10am until midnight, seven days a week.
Contact:
Joanna Small
Public Information Officer
Phone: 720-425-6986
Email: jsmall@c3gov.com