Pottstown council to consider DA-led drone pilot tied to ShotSpotter alerts

Pottstown Borough Council placed on its July meeting agenda a proposal from the Montgomery County district attorneyto install a drone "nest" on the roof of Borough Hall and deploy a small drone to ShotSpotter alerts in the borough. The chief of police described the drone as an automated supplement to the existing ShotSpotter gun-detection system and said the district attorneywould cover costs and liability.

The proposal matters because the system would put a camera-equipped, autonomously-deploying drone above parts of Pottstown during some emergency responses, raising operational, privacy and FAA-safety questions that councilors said must be addressed before any expansion of use.

Chief Markovich, Pottstownpolice chief, described how the system would work and the equipment involved. "When ShotSpotter goes off, they'll push a button. The drone will automatically deploy and begin recording, and it will automatically fly to the ShotSpotter alert area and begin recording the scene," he said, adding the drone would typically fly at about 200 feet and includes anti-collision technology. He also said the launch "nest" is roughly 3 feet by 3 feet, weighs about 300 pounds, and the drone itself is about 12 inches by 12 inches.

According to Chief Markovich, the nest would be climate-controlled so the equipment can cycle through cold and hot weather, and return to the nest automatically after a deployment. He said Montgomery County staff are already pursuing Federal Aviation Administration approvals for the device and that the DA's office would initially own and operate the system. "All the costs will be covered by the district attorney's office," he said.

Members of council asked how the borough would ensure the drone is only used in response to ShotSpotter alerts and not for broader surveillance. A councilor emphasized transparency, saying any expansion of scope should return to council for approval. Solicitor Chuck Garner told council staff would draft an agreement to house the nest on Borough Hall that would assign costs and liabilities to the district attorney's office.

Councilors also asked about who would operate the drone and cybersecurity risks. Chief Markovich said initial operation would likely be by Montgomery County personnel, with Pottstown officers trained later, and that those operational specifics remain to be determined. A councilor asked about hacking risk; Chief Markovich said he did not have a definitive technical answer at the meeting and said the vendor and county would need to provide security details and FAA compliance information.

The council did not vote on the request at the meeting; members agreed to list "approval for the district attorney to implement this drone program in the borough of Pottstown and mount the nest on the roof of Borough Hall" for the next council meeting so the agreement, insurance and a policy limiting use to ShotSpotter responses can be reviewed.

If council approves the proposal at the upcoming meeting, the borough solicitor said staff would draft an agreement spelling out insurance, indigent liability and the limited operational purpose. Solicitor Chuck Garner said that agreement and other required documentation would be brought to council for review and approval before any installation or routine operation occurred.

Council members indicated they expect FAA approvals, signed agreements and explicit operational policies limiting deployments to ShotSpotter alerts before full implementation. The district attorney's office, which Chief Markovich said would own the equipment, would be responsible for costs and insurance under the arrangement discussed.

Key unresolved details include a formal operations policy; which specific county staff would operate the drone and under what training requirements; vendor cybersecurity specifications and FAA authorization; and how footage and data would be stored, protected and accessed. Those points were flagged by councilors as conditions for any approval.

The item will return to council for a formal vote; at the meeting the mayor asked that the proposal be placed on the Monday council agenda for consideration and adoption of any necessary agreement.