The chief said drones can fly over traffic and give responders a view of a scene faster than patrol cars or fire trucks can arrive. During a 30-day pilot this spring, drones reached scenes first about 70% of the time, according to police, and cleared officers from roughly 16% of calls that turned out to be false alarms.

"It can be first on scene. It can provide that intelligence. It can keep our officers from showing up in an ambush situation," Rader said.

Department officials said the drones will launch only for specific calls for service and will not be used for general neighborhood surveillance. Cameras will remain pointed at the horizon until a drone reaches the scene of a call, they said.

Rader said a drone could quickly relay information to officers responding to reports of carjackings or home invasions, giving them a clearer picture before they arrive. He described the program as a "force multiplier" that frees officers to spend more time on proactive patrols and community policing.

The chief said a federal Homeland Security grant and money from a police foundation will help get the system running without drawing on city tax dollars.

The announcement comes as Henderson has been weighing making its public safety drone program permanent. The city's move toward a standing program has drawn attention to how the technology is used and what safeguards accompany it, questions that have followed drone adoption at police agencies nationally.

For residents, the department's stated limits — dispatch only to specific calls and cameras pointed away from the ground until arrival — are central to how the program will be judged. Rader's emphasis on officer safety and faster information suggests the department sees the drones as a tool to reduce risk in potentially violent encounters, while the false-alarm figure points to another potential benefit: keeping officers available for other work.

Department officials did not provide a launch date for the program in the chief's remarks.