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Columbus council approves $62,861 purchase of two Skydio drones for police
Summary
The council approved a $62,861.40 quote from Skydio Inc. to buy two drones for the Columbus Police Department (CIP 25-37); police said the U.S.-manufactured drones avoid reliance on DJI products and offer live-streaming and autonomous deployment capabilities.
The Columbus City Council on April 21 approved a $62,861.40 quote from Skydio Inc. to purchase two drones for the Columbus Police Department (CIP No. 25-37).
Captain Moltrick of the Columbus Police Department described the purchase as replacing a planned DJI platform with U.S.-manufactured Skydio drones because of concerns about foreign manufacture of the originally selected system. Moltrick said Skydio’s products integrate with Axon systems and provide live-streaming to a command post, multiple battery packs, and future options for autonomous deployment from fixed housings.
“We had to steer away from DJI products, because they’re Chinese manufactured,” Moltrick said. He added that the Skydio drones are “state of the art” and praised their artificial-intelligence capabilities, live-streaming and remote updates.
Council members asked for a demonstration after delivery; the department said it would provide one. The council approved the purchase by motion and voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion passed.
Why it matters: The purchase invests city capital in aerial technology the police department says will improve incident management, situational awareness and future autonomous capabilities. The department described potential integration with other equipment from vendors such as Axon.
Discussion vs. decision: The council’s action was to accept the vendor quote and authorize the purchase; discussion focused on technical capabilities, integration options and a request for a demonstration once equipment arrives.
