The City of Bridgeport launched its new public safety drone program Tuesday, with the company that makes the drones - Flock Safety - promising to help improve response time and effectiveness for police, firefighters and EMS.

"Flock Safety is a world leader in law enforcement drones - and we are grateful for the half million dollars in funding we got thanks to state Sen. Herron Gaston, who went to bat for Bridgeport in Hartford," said Mayor Joe Ganim.

The roof of the mayor's office at 999 Broad St. served as a launching pad for the drone program, with developers giving the media a demonstration there.

"It's great to see everybody working together to make this new public safety initiative a reality," said City Council President Jeanette Herron.

"These drones will be digital first responders, bringing public safety officials instant images to help them deploy emergency manpower more quickly and effectively, changing the landscape of public safety in Connecticut's biggest city," said Herron.