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Council accepts $50,780 Broughton Foundation donation for police drones; department to adopt usage policy
Summary
The council unanimously accepted a $50,780 donation from the Broughton Foundation to buy four Cyrus Teledyne flare drones for the Big Spring Police Department, and Chief Williams said a written policy, FAA‑licensed operators and an appointed coordinator will be in place before deployment.
The Big Spring City Council unanimously approved acceptance of a $50,780 donation from the Broughton Foundation to the Big Spring Police Department to purchase four Cyrus Teledyne flare drones and accessories.
Police Chief Williams told the council the drones will be used for scene assessment, search-and-rescue and evidence-documentation purposes and that the department will implement a written policy and training before authorizing any use. “We will have a policy in place before anyone is authorized to use these,” Williams said, adding the department will appoint a coordinator to oversee the program and that operators will be required to obtain FAA licenses. He estimated training costs at under $250 per operator and said video collected will be stored on department servers under policy controls.
Council members asked several questions about training availability and program oversight; one councilmember said his concerns were answered after a discussion with the chief and an officer. The council approved the donation without objection.
The acceptance authorizes the police department to receive the funds and to proceed with purchasing the drones and developing a program policy and training schedule.
