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Federal Way council unanimously approves two-dock first-responder drone program
Summary
The council approved a five-year contract to deploy two docked Skydio drones for first-responder use, with the first year funded from state seizure funds. The program drew extended public comment on privacy and data retention before unanimous approval.
After extended public comment and council questions about privacy, retention and budgeting, the Federal Way City Council voted unanimously Jan. 6 to implement a drone-as-first-responder (DFR) program and authorized the mayor to execute vendor contracts.
Police commanders described the recommended system—a Skydio-based setup integrated with the city’s Axon evidence-management platform—and proposed two docked drones and two docks, located at City Hall and the Performing Arts & Events Center. Command staff said the vendor’s platform can lock the camera in a horizontal view while…
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