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Woburn police cite drone program save and K9 grant as recruits join department
Summary
Police briefed the Finance Committee on recent recruits and grants: a $100,000 Cummings Foundation award for a drone program and a $52,000 Stanton grant funding a K9 and equipment; the chief said the drone located an elderly missing person in a recent operation.
WOBURN — The police chief updated the Committee on recent personnel and technology developments, citing grant-funded capacity boosts alongside continuing staffing needs.
The department reported four recruits graduated from the academy in recent weeks. The chief said the mayor funded eight new positions intended to bolster reserve staffing and training capacity.
On technology, the chief told the committee the department received a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to expand a drone program. He described a recent search in which a drone equipped with thermal imaging helped locate a 71-year-old man with dementia and ALS when K-9 units had not found him; according to the chief’s account, on-scene medical staff said the individual would likely not have survived the evening without that locate. "One of the drones ... actually located the individual and were able to lead troops into deep woods to find him," he said.
Separately, the department secured a Stanton grant reported at $52,000 to fund a canine, cruiser upfitting and handler training; the chief said the K9 (referred to in the meeting as Odin) is completing academy training and will enter specialized assignments.
Councilors praised the department’s work and asked about reserve pay and recruitment. The chief said recent civil service lists and recruitment efforts should help but noted hiring remains difficult and attrition is expected with upcoming retirements.
Next steps described in the presentation included continued recruiting, using grant funds to operationalize the drone and K9 programs, and further discussion of reserve pay to support academy candidates.
