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Victorville approves drone-as-first-responder program, allocates $831,929 for launch
Summary
The City Council approved a contract with Brink Drones Inc. to implement a drone-as-first-responder program, authorizing up to $831,929.18 from the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund and a three‑year vendor agreement that includes hardware, software integrations and operations support.
The Victorville City Council voted unanimously Oct. 7 to award a professional services agreement to Brink Drones Inc. to implement a drones-as-first-responder (DFR) program and to amend the fiscal year 2025–26 budget to authorize up to $831,929.18 in Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund expenditures for the program.
City staff said the program will place three drones at municipal launch sites — the police station and Fire Stations 311 and 312 — integrate them with the city’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD), ALPR and ShotSpotter systems, and operate them by FAA‑licensed police pilots. “Drones are able to get on scene to 9‑1‑1 calls in about 70 seconds on average,” Brink founder Blake Resnick said, describing what he and his company call the citywide DFR capability.
City officials and the vendor said the initial deployment is expected to be operational in early 2026. The system proposal includes: three purpose-built emergency response drones with red/blue lights and sirens; recharging pods at launch sites; payload capability up to approximately 2 pounds (to carry AEDs, Narcan, flotation devices, small trauma kits); 42‑minute flight endurance per battery; a 10–90% recharge time of about 25 minutes at a recharging pod; CJIS‑compliant data handling with AWS GovCloud storage; and regulatory‑assistance services to secure FAA waivers for beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight operations.
Brink said the drones can deliver defibrillators and other small medical supplies, can livestream encrypted video to evidence systems such as Evidence.com, and can integrate automatically with ShotSpotter to dispatch a drone to detected gunfire. “We can also clear about a quarter of calls for service without ever sending a person,” Resnick said, explaining one operational benefit seen by other agencies.
Councilmembers asked technical and policy questions during a lengthy presentation and public hearing. Councilmember Godin asked whether AEDs and replacement parts would be reusable and covered by the contract; Resnick responded that supplies and maintenance are included. Councilmember Jones asked about the glass‑breaching interior drone used by some SWAT teams; Resnick said that capability is reserved for SWAT warrant and high‑risk operations, not routine policing. Mayor Pro Tem Herriman asked about battery longevity and adding launch sites; staff said the contract allows additional sites to be added and that batteries and common wear items are included in vendor replacement provisions.
The recommended professional services provider agreement, and resolution 25‑070 to amend the FY 2025–26 budget, were presented together. The council’s motion to award the agreement and approve the budget amendment passed 5–0 (Councilmember Godin, Councilmember Irving, Councilmember Jones, Mayor Pro Tem Herriman and Mayor Becerra voted yes). Staff said the contract term under consideration is three years with built‑in hardware upgrades at approximately 2.5 years and options to extend the arrangement.
City staff said final operational details — including specific dispatch rules coordinated with Victorville Police dispatch and the sheriff’s office, performance metrics and privacy settings for recording — will be developed with the vendor, police dispatch and legal counsel prior to full deployment. Brink representatives said public‑facing transparency tools can show flight counts, response times and individual flight paths for accountability.
The council did not adopt a separate privacy policy or standing operating procedure at the Oct. 7 meeting; staff said those operational protocols and any FAA waivers would be completed during contract implementation. The item authorizes non‑substantive contract edits as agreed by the city manager and city attorney.
Councilmembers praised the technology during comments; no formal dissenting votes were recorded. With the council’s approval the city will proceed to finalize the agreement and the interagency/dispatch protocols needed for the early‑2026 operational target.
