No Budget, All Guts: Building a Drone Program with Borrowed Cash and a Prayer with David Spraggs

Episode notes

In this episode of DroneCast, host Joe Kearns speaks with David Spraggs, a veteran law enforcement officer with more than two decades at the Boulder Police Department and now Manager of Customer Success at DroneSense. David’s journey into unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) began in 2014 when he first encountered a $150,000 drone while serving as bomb squad commander. This sparked a vision that would ultimately lead him to pioneer Boulder PD’s drone program, turning drones from a niche technology into an indispensable part of public safety response. David recounts a pivotal mission involving a suicidal subject where drone technology shifted from experimental to essential, cementing its role in critical incident response. He explains the strategies he used to secure buy-in, navigate resistance, and build transparency with the community, factors that ensured the program’s legitimacy and long-term success. His experience highlights the importance of proper documentation, accountability systems, and data-driven reporting in sustaining and scaling drone programs.