“Alright, Rahul, you can build your DFR program, but I’m not giving you another dime, so you had better make sure it works.”

Those were the words Keith Kauffman (my former Chief, now our Director of DFR Strategy) said to me when I asked if we could launch a DFR program at my agency in March 2020. Fritz Reber (now our Director of Professional Services) recently invented DFR while serving as a Captain at Chula Vista PD, and the idea really inspired me. Having transitioned from full-time to reserve officer years earlier, I was in a position to take on special projects like this.

I faced two main challenges in getting our program off the ground.

Challenge #1: I had to become an expert in everything and maintain the program afterward.

Despite being a manned aircraft pilot and a self-proclaimed “tech guy,” becoming an expert in every aspect of DFR was more challenging than I expected. I had to learn drone laws, draft the appropriate policies, build training programs, determine which equipment to purchase and how to maintain it, understand compliance requirements, and build community trust in the program.

After acquiring all this knowledge, I still needed to build and maintain the program—a challenge in itself. Every drone, pilot, and launch location added another layer of complexity, making the job increasingly tedious and difficult.

If you’re reading this and you’re a supervisor who was tasked with launching a DFR program, buckle up. It’s a lot of work, but I promise it’s worth it.

Challenge #2: I had to make the right financial recommendations to my chief without going over budget.

As I built the program, I engaged in conversations with numerous vendors who offered to help. Two things became abundantly clear in all these discussions:

1. They were highlighting only their offering, hiding what was actually available today.

2. They were trying to make the pricing seem much cheaper than it truly was.

I have no problem with companies explaining their vision for the future—I believe that’s important—but I take issue when they blur the lines between that vision and what is available today. Most agencies don’t have the luxury of investing in a promise; they need a solution that works right now.

To make matters worse, understanding the true cost of building a DFR program for your agency can be incredibly daunting.

Some sales organizations employ a tactic I call “budget building.” In this approach, salespeople lead with what appears to be a low-priced piece of their offering, anchoring that first impression to appear that their overall solution is cheaper than other options.

For example, a company might say, “Our drone stations are only $50K, and our competitors’ are $150K. We are a much cheaper option!”

That sounds great, right? What they don’t mention is that you need three of their drone stations to match the capabilities of one Flock Aerodome drone station. They fail to disclose that their drone stations cover only a 2-mile radius instead of a 3.5-mile radius, which means you’ll need even more launch locations. They also omit details about additional service and software costs, as well as upfront expenses. 

More importantly, these extra, smaller drone stations require more personnel to staff, fly, and maintain. Salespeople may pretend that one pilot can operate a dozen drone stations or that finding, gaining approval for,  and maintaining multiple rooftop locations won’t be difficult, but those beliefs come crumbling down shortly after the contract gets signed.

By the time you realize that the “cheaper” option is actually the more expensive option, the salesperson has established a rapport with you, and you’ve already built up enough internal momentum to feel forced into choosing them. Who wants to go through all that work twice or go back on their previous recommendation?

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This is why Fritz, Keith, and I designed our pricing and business model the way it is today—to tackle the very challenges we faced ourselves.

We consolidated every aspect of building and maintaining a DFR program into a single annual fee. That fee covers all hardware, software, consulting, services, training, maintenance, and support—with no surprises. We don’t even charge deployment or integration fees.

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How to figure out how much your DFR program will actually cost

I strongly encourage you and your agency to demo and evaluate every potential vendor as you build your DFR program.

With each vendor, ask the following questions:

• Can you map out my entire coverage area and tell me exactly how much hardware is needed for true 24/7 coverage?
• Can you ensure that the placement of these launch locations allows for an average 90-second response time to calls for service?
• How many DFR pilots will I need to staff these launch locations without requiring additional FAA waivers?
• If you claim that one pilot can operate multiple drones, have you secured an FAA waiver for that arrangement?
• Exactly how many team members will I need to manage all of these extra drone stations and equipment?
• Can you provide all the software necessary for a fully functioning program, along with a detailed cost breakdown?
• Can you outline all the services and consulting required to obtain FAA waivers, develop policies, support community and city council meetings, and maintain the program afterward?
• Are there any other costs or fees I should be aware of to run this program as intended?

Once you have these numbers, you can plug them into a straightforward calculation: the “DFR cost per square mile”—a metric especially effective for building a city-wide, 24/7, true DFR program.

1. Add up all your costs: Include hardware, software, services, consulting, maintenance, support, training, and even personnel expenses.
2. Divide by the square miles: Divide the total costs by the number of square miles you aim to cover.

The resulting figure is your “DFR cost per square mile”—the critical number you need to compare to determine which program is most cost-effective for your agency.

This exercise forces companies to reveal the true cost of their solutions, eliminating any ability to hide additional fees or the expense of extra equipment required to achieve the same level of service.

Example:

Imagine this is your agency. Your entire jurisdiction is 35 square miles.

With Flock Aerodome, you can cover the entirety of your jurisdiction with just one drone station (you can always get two if you want redundancy). All your hardware, software, services, consulting, support, maintenance, etc, is all under one fixed price. Plus, you only have to staff one DFR pilot to fly. 

That math is roughly $4,285/sq mile at 200ft and $8,771/sq mile if you want to fly at 400ft. Add the cost of staffing one DFR pilot.

Here is the layout required by our closest competitor to cover the same distance with the same response time. This would require nine drone stations (since each drone station covers a radius of just 2 miles) and likely need at least three DFR pilots (assuming each pilot got their own FAA waiver to fly multiple drones). 

The hardware alone would cost $12,857/sq mile at 200ft and $20,000/sq mile at 400ft. Add the software, services, consulting, support, and maintenance costs, then add the cost of staffing at least three DFR pilots.

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In conclusion, make sure to speak with every DFR vendor to find the one that best fits your agency’s goals. I recommend that you calculate your “DFR cost per square mile” to compare each program accurately. 

Your life will be much easier when you’re maintaining less equipment, managing less personnel, and spending less money.