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Chief outlines purchase of Fusus camera‑integration and Skydio DFR drones; council raises privacy questions
Summary
Police presented a budgeted, supplemental‑approved purchase of camera‑integration software (Fusus) and Skydio’s Drone First Responder program to deploy five drones across police and fire stations at about $304,999.90 per year; councilmembers asked about civil‑liberty safeguards and said policies limiting access are required.
Police Chief (speaker referenced as Chief Gerke) asked the council to approve entering contracts for Fusus (camera‑integration software) and Skydio’s Drone First Responder (DFR) program.
The chief said the Fusus software would allow the department to view commercial camera feeds (for example, convenience‑store cameras) when there is a lawful operational need and that the package under consideration would permit bringing in up to 7,000 commercial camera streams. He described Skydio’s DFR program as a first‑responder drone service that would place five drones (two at the police department, two at Fire Station 6 and one at Fire Station 3) to launch to critical incidents and provide early scene intelligence. Chief Gerke said the package is budgeted and was approved in the supplemental budget.
Staff reported the annual cost as approximately $304,999.90. A councilmember raised privacy and civil‑liberty concerns, noting the potential for surveillance creep. The chief said the city would implement policies that limit camera access to official use and require an operational reason to access feeds; he also said the department lacks the personnel to monitor cameras continuously. Other councilmembers clarified these agreements are commercial arrangements with private camera owners, not an effort to collect Ring doorbell feeds from residences.
The council did not take a vote at the workshop; staff said they would proceed with the procurement steps and bring any contract authorizations back to the council as required.
Clarifying details: the police presentation tied the camera‑integration software and drone program to faster, safer incident response; staff described an annual contract cost of roughly $304,999.90 and said the purchase was budgeted in a supplemental appropriation.
