Hannibal council authorizes city letter to FAA to expand police drone operations
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Summary
Council approved a resolution authorizing a declaration to the FAA that will allow Hannibal Police Department to pursue broader drone authorizations, including beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations for public-safety use.
The Hannibal City Council on Aug. 19 approved Resolution 2566‑25, authorizing the mayor to execute a declaration to the Federal Aviation Administration that supports the Hannibal Police Department’s application for expanded drone authorizations.
Eric Graham, the city’s information-technology director and a member of the police drone team, told the council the declaration is a required administrative document that helps the department obtain an FAA certificate of authorization. “This allows us a little more leeway on flying the drone beyond sight of the operators,” Graham said, describing its value for search and rescue and emergency response where trees or terrain limit visual lines.
Graham said the authorization is limited to public‑safety uses and that the department maintains flight logs for every drone operation. The council adopted the resolution after a brief presentation; members voted “yes” on the roll call adopting Resolution 2566‑25.
The resolution directs city officials to submit the declaration to the FAA so the police department can begin the federal application process. The council did not adopt additional city policy constraints or operational protocols at the meeting; any operational changes would follow FAA approval and local administrative action.
