Lisle committee backs police drone program; chief outlines limits on facial recognition and planned funding

Police Chief Rodriguez told the Village of Lisle Committee of the Whole on July 21 that the police department has used small unmanned aircraft systems (drones) on calls nearly weekly since May and wants a formal village program funded with criminal forfeiture funds, estimated at under $29,000. Rodriguez said the department has five trained pilots, can deploy a drone within about eight minutes and routinely uses thermal sensors for missing-person searches, crowd oversight at events and evidence photography. He told the board the department’s proposed policy—attached to the agenda—prohibits use for First Amendment-protected protests and does not load facial-recognition software onto the platforms. The program’s nut graf: If approved, the purchase and local ownership would reduce response time for missing-person calls and event…