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Minnetonka approves cooperative agreement to deploy drones as first responders
Summary
The Minnetonka City Council voted to approve a cooperative agreement with Axon and Skydio to deploy rooftop-mounted drones as first responders, a move city staff said will speed response, improve officer safety and save personnel costs compared with additional full‑time hires.
The Minnetonka City Council on May 19 approved a cooperative agreement with Axon Enterprises Inc. and Skydio Inc. to deploy rooftop-mounted drones as first responders and to expand the city’s drone program.
City officials said the program will give officers near‑instant aerial views of incidents, improve situational awareness and reduce the need for some ground responses. Deputy Chief Tate described the technology as a way to “get to the scene very quickly, be able to see what's happening and relay that information to those officers,” and said the city has model data from other departments showing faster aerial arrival times than patrol units.
The council was presented data showing that, based…
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