Aerodome

Aerodome developed an end-to-end, automated drone-as-first-responder (DFR) system for public safety agencies. When an agency receives an emergency call, an Aerodome-equipped drone launches automatically and streams live video to responding personnel, giving dispatchers and officers real-time visibility on a scene before ground units arrive. The company described its offering as "DFR 2.0": a turnkey, fully remote and automated air support operating system in which a single operator can oversee multiple drones simultaneously, supported by an air traffic awareness system that tracks planes, helicopters, other drones and birds in all directions, and by beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight capability.

The company positioned DFR as a cheaper, greener and faster substitute for traditional police helicopter air support, which it characterized as expensive, inefficient and operationally opaque. Reported operational claims included an average drone response time of 86 seconds to 911 calls versus a 7-8 minute traditional average, a roughly 15 percent reduction in patrol call volume, and response-time improvements variously stated as over 50 percent and up to 80 percent. Aerodome also emphasized auditability and privacy positioning, stating that it was not building a surveillance product and that every flight generated an auto-redacted flight log published on the agency's website. A longer-term ambition was autonomous patrol of high-risk regions with thermal and optical cameras for early wildfire detection.

Aerodome sold drone and remote piloting software to police and fire departments, with named deployments including the Redondo Beach, Hawthorne and Scottsdale (Arizona) police departments. It was acquired by public safety technology company Flock Safety in October 2024, approximately 17 months after founding; Aerodome's technology was slated to be integrated into Flock Safety's collaborative policing suite and real-time crime center products alongside a planned line of NDAA-compliant, American-made drones.

Founding story

Aerodome was co-founded by CEO Rahul Sidhu and Chief Architect Kenaniah Cerny. Sidhu spent 14 years as a first responder (paramedic, firefighter, police officer) and is a pilot; as reserve air support supervisor for a Los Angeles-area police department he established one of the first drone-as-first-responder programs in 2020, and he described himself as the second officer in the country to launch such a program. The two had previously founded SPIDR Tech, a customer service interface for law enforcement, which was acquired by Versaterm Public Safety in 2021. Sidhu met Cerny, a software engineer with 20+ years of experience and integrations across 30+ police and fire software platforms, when Cerny was lead instructor of a three-month General Assembly coding bootcamp Sidhu attended.

Business model

Aerodome sold its automated drone-as-first-responder system, including drone and remote piloting software plus docking hardware supplied through a partner, to public safety agencies under contracts with police and fire departments. Value propositions cited to buyers included return on investment relative to helicopter air support and reduced patrol officer workload.

Contracts with public safety agencies (police and fire departments) for its DFR software and air support service.

Traction

By May 2024 the company reported securing contracts with police departments and nearly doubling its earnings projections for Q1 2024, with an average 86-second drone response time to 911 calls. Customer references included the Hawthorne Police Department and the Scottsdale Police Department. Total disclosed funding reached $28 million before the company was acquired by Flock Safety roughly 17 months after founding.

Latest developments

Following the October 2024 acquisition, Flock Safety said Aerodome's technology would support a suite of American-made, NDAA-compliant drones to be released over the following 12 months and would be integrated into agency real-time crime centers. Flock Safety planned to hire an additional 100 engineers for its aviation team, and Sidhu characterized the transaction as one of the largest technology acquisitions in public safety history and not the end of Aerodome.