New York, New York - A new drone pilot program in New York City being run by NYPD is set to roll out in the coming months.

The K-5 subway monitoring robot is no more, but that doesn't mean that the NYPD is done experimenting with robots altogether.

Emergency response vehicles in NYC may soon be accompanied by a herd of roving drones from the city's newly announced First Responder pilot program.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry spoke out on the new initiative for a hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security earlier this month.

"Truly a game changer," he posted to X about the Drones as First Responders program.

"We are leveraging drone technology to keep all New Yorkers safe. Introducing the Drones as First Responders program into our crime fighting apparatus will do just that."

For now, five precincts – three in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx, and one that covers Central Park – are testing out the program, which will reportedly see police stationhouse roofs fitted with drone platforms.

The drones are to be piloted from the NYPD Joint Operations Center and work with ShotSpotter technology designed to respond to gunfire alerts. Police officers will then receive real-time footage of the event via smartphone, thus giving them a better idea of the crime before arriving on the scene.

But could this level of police surveillance set a worrisome precedent?

A 2022 report from the New York Civil Liberties Union highlighted the then-already significant extent of NYPD's drone usage, its dangers, and the need for public oversight legislation.

The report took data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and found "530 active drone registrations in 85 different New York government entities across the state" at the NYCLU report's time of publication.

"Unregulated use of drones threatens New Yorkers’ privacy and safety, further creating a society in which our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded, and scrutinized by the authorities," Donna Lieberman, executive director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said.

"Without public oversight and legislation to curtail drone use, the threat of constant police surveillance by drones equipped with invasive technologies will become our new normal."

The report voices concern over the drones potentially being used for surveillance purposes.