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Drones Take Off For Greenfield, Massachusetts, Fire And Police Departments

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The city of Greenfield, Massachusetts, is launching a drone program to assist its police and fire departments.

Greenfield will use two drones, one of them paid for with money from the federal government.

Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan is overseeing the program. He said the drones will be helpful, given that Greenfield is a rural community.

"We've had some incidents such as train derailments or searches for missing persons in wooded areas that it's very difficult for responders to get to," he said.

Strahan said the drones will not be used for surveillance or to spy on people. They will be available to other communities in Franklin County.

In Springfield, police are not using drones yet, but a spokesman said the department will launch a program with drones after a policy on their use is approved.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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