Public Safety panel debates drone‑manufacturing resolution amid concerns about law‑enforcement reliance on foreign‑made devices

The House Public Safety Committee heard sponsor testimony on House Resolution 11, which urges the state to expand domestic drone manufacturing to promote jobs, economic development and national security.

Sponsor Representative Ty Matthews emphasized the dual economic and security rationales, saying Ohio is well positioned to attract unmanned‑aerial‑systems manufacturing and build domestic supply chains. "We aim to ensure that Ohio remains a key player in the global drone market by prioritizing the production of domestically manufactured drones," Matthews said.

Members from the committee pressed for practical detail. Representative Gambari noted that many public‑safety agencies currently use DJI devices for firefighting, accident reconstruction and search operations and worried that policies that restrict foreign‑made drones could hamper those capabilities. He urged caution and suggested suppliers and repair services (one repair firm told the committee it supports more than 400 public‑safety entities in Ohio) need to be considered before policy changes.

Other members raised privacy and civil‑rights concerns with drone use and urged that any push for domestic manufacturing also address data‑storage, cybersecurity and access for farmers and other civilian users. The sponsor said the resolution is intended to start conversations and explore supply‑chain opportunities (and would be open to broadening language to include other foreign adversaries beyond China).

The first hearing closed after extensive Q&A; the committee did not vote on the resolution.