DuPage County Board approves tethered drone for sheriff after heated debate
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Summary
After hours of public comment and board discussion over privacy and ICE concerns, the DuPage County Board approved a contract to purchase a tethered surveillance drone for the sheriff’s office with policy edits requiring compliance with Illinois’ Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act and referral of alleged violations to the state attorney general.
The DuPage County Board voted to approve a contract for a tethered drone for the sheriff’s office after a lengthy debate over privacy, oversight and the potential for federal use.
Member Evans, chair of the Judicial & Public Safety Committee, moved to approve a contract purchase order to Safeware Inc. for a tethered drone not to exceed $67,892.25, saying committee edits require compliance with the Illinois Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act and clarified data-retention and oversight procedures. "This drone policy is based on Illinois Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act," Evans said, adding officials had inserted language referring investigations of potential criminal violations to the Illinois attorney general's office.
Opponents warned the drone could expand surveillance and be misused. Member Martinez said she was voting no because the policy's language allowing use "to counter a high risk of terrorist attack" could be invoked too broadly. Member Desart, who had pushed for more scrutiny, said constituents' concerns about trust and transparency persuaded her to oppose the purchase.
Supporters, including members who examined the policy with sheriff’s deputies, said the tethered drone is limited in capability and intended for public-safety incidents such as searching for missing people or supporting responses at large events. Member You summarized the committee's work: the policy prohibits random surveillance, bans targeting based on protected characteristics, and ensures most drone-collected footage is treated like body-camera footage with 30-day retention.
The roll call vote recorded 13 ayes and 3 nays; the motion passed and the contract was approved. The policy language requiring that alleged criminal violations be referred to the Illinois attorney general was repeatedly cited by members as a key safeguard.
The board debate included multiple exchanges between members and sheriff’s office representatives, who said the tethered system lacks facial-recognition capability and will be tethered to a power source, limiting its mobility. Member Cobart said she was reassured to learn the drone does not have facial recognition and that the contract amount covers a multi-year procurement rather than a single-year cost.
The board’s approval came after roughly an hour of public comment and committee-level edits to the policy; members stressed that the purchase will be subject to the county’s procurement rules and the sheriff’s office must adhere to the updated policy.
The board did not vote on further oversight mechanisms beyond the policy as revised; several members said they would monitor implementation and expect monthly reporting as provided for in the policy.
