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Brookhaven police propose citywide drone response, say partnership will cut costs and add translation tools
Summary
Brookhaven police presented a plan to expand drone first‑responder coverage citywide via an Axon/SCOTTeo partnership, promising 24/7 availability, U.S.-made drones, integrated camera/digital‑evidence systems, AI translation on body cameras and an estimated $4.6 million in savings over the contract life.
Brookhaven’s police department on Aug. 26 presented a proposal to expand its drone first‑responder (DFR) program citywide, replacing roof‑based pilots with a network of eight automated drone docking stations and integrating the system with the department’s Axon equipment and cloud services.
Captain Ayanna, who led the presentation, said the plan would move the DFR service from partial coverage to near‑citywide availability: “We’re gonna take 8 displaced drone docks... We’ll be able to respond to 80% of calls within these circles within 90 seconds, having 24/7 drone availability.” The presentation said the expanded system would shift to U.S.-manufactured drones and allow officers to summon a drone from their body camera user interface.
Why it matters: staff told the council the package both broadens service and reduces recurring personnel costs. Capt. Ayanna presented a multi‑year cost comparison and stated that over the life of the proposed contract the city would save about $4,600,000 compared with current operating costs. The proposal also bundles current Axon expenses (tasers, body and in‑car cameras, evidence cloud storage) with the DFR services, and it locks in pricing through 2034 while scheduling a hardware refresh in 2029.
What the plan includes: according to the presentation, the program would place drone docks across commercial corridors and neighborhoods to meet a target 90‑second on‑scene window in most areas; it would add AI language translation available through officers’ body‑camera interfaces (the vendor advertises support for 50+ languages); introduce VR training for use‑of‑force scenarios; and add future drone‑detection capabilities for large public events.
Privacy, regulation and technical questions: council members asked whether procedures, data storage and AI accuracy require updates to city policy. Capt. Ayanna said the department had previously engaged the ACLU for operational guardrails and that existing SOPs would not change in principle; the department would document translations and retain native-language recordings for later review. On airspace issues, staff noted a pending FAA waiver application to raise operational restrictions and said they are in dialogue with FAA officials.
Council reaction and next steps: Mayor John Park and other members praised the program’s cost‑savings and its community‑engagement potential. Capt. Ayanna told the council the proposal will come forward for further review and that city attorneys will vet contract language and data‑security terms before any authorization. The council later moved to executive session for real estate, litigation and personnel; no vote on the drone contract was taken at the work session.
