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Smyrna police present updated drone, appearance and mental‑health response policies for council review
Summary
Chief Jason Irvin presented revised Smyrna Police Department policies: an unmanned aircraft systems (drones) policy responding to FAA requirements, an appearance/uniform and equipment policy clarifying how officers carry and use knives, and a procedure update on handling people in mental‑health crisis to align transport responsibilities with EMS.
The Smyrna Police Department presented three revised policies for council consideration during the workshop: unmanned aircraft systems (drones), appearance/uniform and equipment, and procedures for handling persons with mental-health crises.
Unmanned aircraft systems (drones): Chief Jason Irvin said the department did not previously have a coherent drone policy and that staff used model policies and FAA requirements to prepare a policy (policy number 2‑59). He said the department currently has three drones and intends to expand the program under a policy that follows FAA rules.
Appearance, uniform and equipment: The revised policy (policy number 3‑7) clarifies how officers carry tools such as knives, where they are worn on the uniform and how the department intends to restrict use. Chief Irvin said knives are carried for operational purposes, for example to free crash victims from seat belts, and the policy aims to ensure knives are not used as a first‑line use-of-force tool except in life‑threatening situations.
Procedures for handling persons in mental-health crisis: The policy revision (policy number 2‑32) responds to ambulance/EMS operational limits raised by local ambulance personnel. Staff said their prior policy assumed ambulance transport for mental‑health evaluations; after meeting ambulance services, the department revised the policy so officers transport people for mental‑health evaluations unless the person has a medical issue requiring ambulance transport.
Why it matters: staff framed the mental‑health transport revision as a coordination step to reflect ambulance-scope-of-practice limits, and the drone policy as necessary to comply with FAA requirements before program expansion.
Next steps: Council had no substantive questions and staff said the revised policies would be placed on the formal agenda for approval. No council vote was recorded at the workshop.
