As tens of thousands of visitors descend on Clearwater Beach for spring break, the Clearwater Police Department has launched a new “drone as a first responder” pilot program aimed at improving emergency response in heavy traffic conditions.

Spring break congestion regularly clogs roads and stretches emergency response times across the beach area. The new program allows officers to view a scene before they would ordinarily even be able to depart, with Police Chief Eric Gandy noting that officers can be just a few blocks from a call but still take five minutes to arrive while navigating gridlocked traffic with lights and sirens.

Under the program, a single drone covers the 2.5-mile Clearwater Beach area. Once a call comes in, the drone can reach the scene in as little as 45 seconds, streaming live video back to responding officers.

The program, developed in collaboration with Clearwater Fire & Rescue, is mission-driven and tied directly to calls for service. The most common spring break calls include swimmers in distress, fights, vehicle burglaries, disturbances, and missing children.

Chief Gandy highlighted several ways the technology could change how officers respond. When callers exaggerate threats — for instance, falsely reporting that a weapon is involved — officers could use the drone to verify the situation before arriving on scene. The bird’s-eye view is also expected to help lifeguards locate struggling swimmers more quickly.

In one prior use of drone technology, officers used thermal imaging to locate a subject near water, a task that would otherwise have required officers to search the area yard by yard.

The pilot program runs for one month. Police say they will evaluate whether it reduces response times before deciding whether to expand the program beyond spring break. Beachgoers who spoke with reporters generally welcomed the added technology.

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