Moline police seek council authorization for docked Skydio drones for first‑responder program; funding from state violence‑prevention grant

City police officials described an expanded Drone as First Responder (DFR) program and recommended that the council authorize procurement of docked Skydio drones and two rooftop docks under a multi‑year contract funded by an existing state violence‑prevention grant.

Deputy Chief Andrew Ryan (Deputy Chief, Moline Police Department) and Lieutenant Eli Solis, division commander for the service division and the department’s drone commander, presented the program’s goals, legal context and vendor comparisons. Lieutenant Solis said the department already flies drones but that docked, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) systems would allow rapid rooftop deployment and response times measured in seconds to minutes for many emergency calls.

Why it matters: presenters said docked drones can arrive on scene faster than patrol units, give officers real‑time visual information to support decision making and de‑escalation, and assist fire and other public safety units with situational awareness. The presenters cited Chula Vista Police Department’s DFR program as a proven example and played a video in which the Chula Vista chief described drones as providing "invaluable information to officers." The department said current average response time for its ad‑hoc drone…