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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 on 2024 call volumes, more than 7,500 calls could have been served by a drone; staff said roughly 47% of those could have been handled in under two minutes. Tate and other presenters emphasized safeguards: drone flights will be tied to 911 calls rather than general surveillance; non‑criminal footage is deleted under state law after seven days; flights will be logged and made available on a public transparency portal; and operations must meet Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reporting requirements. Tate also noted Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airspace authorizations are required for operations outside Minnetonka.
The council heard staff say the proposal is part of a broader public safety master‑plan implementation. City staff compared the cost of hiring additional personnel to the hardware, software and service costs of the drone program and presented a 10‑year projection that they said could reduce personnel costs by a multi‑million‑dollar amount if adopted instead of hiring additional sworn officers.
Council members asked about privacy, nighttime and weather operation, FAA limitations and operational scope. Tate said the systems include infrared cameras for nighttime work, heated docks for winter charging, and parachute systems on newer drone models; he added that drones operate in response to calls and do not conduct proactive public surveillance.
The council approved the purchase via a Sourcewell piggyback agreement and an identified vendor quote by voice vote after roll call. Council member Wilburn moved approval of the specified quote and Sourcewell contract; Council member Calvert seconded. The roll call vote recorded all members present voting yes, and the motion carried.
City staff said the drones will be housed in small docking “hives” on city roofs and fire stations and that the program will be available for public works and fire use as well as police operations.
The city will publish flight path and flight‑purpose data via a public portal, and staff said they will continue to bring policy updates and operational details to council as the program expands.
