Trophy Club approves CCPD budget; police to add drone capability and fund staffing

The Trophy Club Town Council approved the Fiscal Year 2025–26 Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) budget July 28, a plan that includes funds for drone technology, weapons enhancements and staffing support. Police Chief Daniels and the CCPD board presented the budget and explained that the CCPD receives one-quarter of the town's two-cent hotel and sales tax allocation to support safety and prevention programs. The board recommended using a portion of the CCPD fund balance to keep reserves at a lower target and to help sustain staffing levels, including funding a cadet to enter the police academy and offset training and recruitment delays. The budget includes funding to purchase a drone with day/night capability, thermal imaging, a spotlight, and an expected flight endurance of roughly 45–50 minutes, the chief said. The department will require FAA certification for officers who will operate the drones; the town will run an FAA-compliant program and require periodic recertification. Chief Daniels said the town is developing a written use policy modeled on peer agencies; drone deployments will require supervisor approval, video will be recorded to local media storage, and footage not used as evidence will be deleted. If drone footage becomes evidence it will be handled like other police video. Council members asked how the drone would be used and raised privacy concerns. The police emphasized that the primary uses are search-and-rescue and incident response rather than routine surveillance, and that Texas law generally requires a warrant to use aerial surveillance of private property. Council members also asked whether the unit is U.S.-made; the chief confirmed that the selected model and software support are U.S.-based. The CCPD board recommended the budget after two budget workshops and two budget meetings. Council members voted to approve the CCPD budget; the motion passed. The CCPD board members who attended included Mark Ratels, Chris Halsey and Royce Laver. The police noted ongoing programs funded by CCPD money such as school resource officer support, identity-theft training, home-security inspections, volunteer citizen patrol and National Night Out events. Officials said the drone program will include a written policy, FAA licensing for operators, supervisor approval for missions and an audit trail for recorded media. The budget vote authorizes spending in the next fiscal year and directs staff to implement training and policy development ahead of equipment deployment.