Everett council approves Flock Safety drone-as-first-responder pilot, waives bidding

The Everett City Council on April 9 approved a two‑year pilot program with Flock Safety to deploy drones as first responders (DFR) and waived public bidding for the purchase and services. Council approved both a resolution to waive bidding and a product addendum with Flock Safety after extended public briefing and council questions.

The pilot as described by city staff will deploy one drone initially at no cost in year one, add a second drone for a $50,000 charge in that first year to achieve citywide coverage, and carry recurring operating costs thereafter (staff estimated about $307,000 per drone per year for a configuration that includes radar; some contract materials in the packet list a $507,000 line for a 24‑month period). A radar system is required for full operations in the southern portion of Everett because of airport proximity; staff said the radar raises the unit cost for that dock.

City staff told the council the program includes an opt‑out provision after the first year, public reporting, and technical and privacy safeguards. Staff said drones typically arrive on scene much faster than ground units — historical DFR programs show average drone arrival times near 90 seconds, versus the Everett 2024 average of about 4 minutes for priority‑one calls — and that other jurisdictions reported up to a roughly 20% reduction in patrol‑car responses for some call types when a drone could be first on scene.

Council members pressed staff on costs, data retention, public access and civil‑liberties protections. Staff said non‑evidentiary footage will be handled like non‑evidentiary body‑worn camera video and deleted consistent with state law; they told council that except for evidentiary material tied to investigations, license‑plate and other data are hard‑deleted after 30 days per the terms discussed in prior briefings. Staff also said the program will not use facial recognition, will not be used for routine patrols or proactive surveillance, and will be deployed only in response to 911 calls or officer requests.

Staff described operational details: a pilot “nest” and computer displays will be set up (initially in the South Precinct); pilots will be trained in‑house with existing FAA‑qualified trainers; collision‑avoidance radar will be part of the system because of the city’s proximity to an airport; and the vendor’s equipment will include automated safety features that can override a pilot to prevent incursions. The city plans a public dashboard that will publish flight paths (not video), call types and basic counts after each flight and to maintain a dedicated email address for community questions (epd_uas@eppartwa.gov).

Councilmember questions led staff to list measurable metrics they plan to track during the trial: response times, instances where a drone was first on scene, number of incidents where an officer response was canceled because the drone resolved or cleared the call, use in fire and marine rescue support, and indicators tied to officer safety and use‑of‑force events. Staff said they will compare year‑2 to year‑1 results and that the contract allows the city to opt out at the end of the first year if objectives are not met.

The council voted to approve the resolution and the product addendum. Votes recorded in the minutes show a majority approval with one council member voting no on each item. Staff said initial flights are projected to begin in late June, ahead of July 4 weekend deployment priorities.

The contracts and the public‑facing policy update will be posted online when finalized; staff said they will publish the draft DFR policy for public review as soon as the remaining deployment details are inserted.

Ending: The pilot creates a new data point for the city’s emergency response toolbox and will be evaluated against stated operational, privacy and fiscal metrics before any long‑term commitment is made.