Murrieta council approves three-year Drone-as-First-Responder pilot using Measure T funds

Murrieta City Council voted unanimously Oct. 7 to approve a three-year Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) program that the police department says will allow near-immediate aerial visuals on 911 calls and other emergencies.

Police Chief Matt Henry and Captain Jeremy Duran outlined the proposal: install three drone docks at city-owned sites (police department and two fire stations), add a central radar node to monitor airspace, and staff a dedicated DFR pilot to launch and monitor drones from a centralized station. The program would be delivered under a multi-year subscription-style agreement with the vendor named in the agenda, and the first-year financial ask is $150,000 drawn from Measure T, with a 15% contingency noted for potential infrastructure expenses.

"Depending on the location, a drone could be on the scene of an emergency call within a matter of minutes," Chief Henry said, explaining how live aerial video would give dispatch and responding units a situational picture before officers arrive. Captain Duran added that a dedicated pilot would monitor 911 run feeds and launch the nearest drone, streaming live video to officers, command staff and, if needed, dispatch screens.

Council members asked operational questions about who would launch drones, whether dispatch could view livestreams, staffing coverage across shifts, legal/privacy safeguards, and whether the drones would be owned or provided as part of the contract. Presenters said the vendor provides drones on a multi-year subscription/lease model (staff described three-year refresh cycles as typical), the agreement is largely all-inclusive (hardware, software, upgrades), and the department expects to select a full-time DFR pilot from existing UAS-trained officers.

Financial details in council discussion: the vendor’s MSRP was presented as $300,000 per year, with the seller offering a reduced first year; the council packet and discussion described a three-year, $750,000 total agreement (not including a possible 15% contingency). Councilmember Holliday and others asked for operational statistics to be collected and reported as the program runs to demonstrate usage and outcomes.

Council member Stone moved and Mayor Pro Tem John Lavelle seconded the motion to approve the third amendment to the agreement and to allocate Measure T funds to start the pilot; the motion carried unanimously, 5–0. Staff said they will report back annually on usage and outcomes as required by the city’s UAS policy.