45-year-old Jovan Ali of Fairfax, Va., was sentenced to seven years in prison last week for stabbing and injuring a man in downtown Silver Spring in April, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Ali’s conviction is the first from a jury trial related to the Montgomery County Police Department’s Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Program.
On April 17, Ali was involved in an altercation with another person at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Sligo Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. The Raven 1 drone captured footage of Ali pulling a knife from his pocket and stabbing an adult male in the shoulder. (See video below.)
A Montgomery County Police officer witnessed the incident. Although the victim’s injuries were not life-threatening, he required surgery.
“The drone video evidence in this case was critical for the State,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a November press release. We would not have been able to prove the defendant’s guilt without it. The value of this technology is immeasurable when it comes to public safety. It is a game-changer within the criminal justice system. We are grateful to Montgomery County Police for their advocacy and implementation of the Drone as a First Responder program.”
According to MCPD, the Drone as a First Responder program is used at crime scenes to monitor situations, gather evidence, and coordinate responses, all while enhancing safety and improving response times.
The MCPD launched the DFR program in Silver Spring and Wheaton last year and has aided in the arrest of several suspects, including repeat shoplifters and an individual involved in a sledgehammer attack at an office building in downtown Silver Spring.
However, the use of drones has raised privacy concerns in the region.
During an August session of the Maryland Association of Counties, drone supporters acknowledged public concerns but argued that drones could help police departments optimize resources, improve response times, and ensure privacy protections through safeguards.
McCarthy told Fox 5 last month that he believes attitudes towards the program have changed.
“Let me tell you,” McCarthy said, “those privacy concerns are over because they see how it works, how it makes them safer.”
According to DC News Now, police are expanding the Drone as First Responder program to Bethesda in the coming weeks.
Photo: MCPD / YouTube