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Portage council approves $255,043 Axon five‑year drone responder system
Summary
The Portage City Council voted Dec. 2 to buy a five‑year drone first‑responder system from Axon for $255,043 under a Sourcewell cooperative agreement. Police described search‑and‑rescue successes, LTE range, ~40‑minute flight time, and a $50,000‑per‑year service/maintenance component for rapid replacement and support.
Portage — The Portage City Council voted Dec. 2 to approve the purchase of a comprehensive five‑year drone first‑responder system from Axon for $255,043, using the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement. Council member Ledbetter moved the measure and it passed on a roll call vote.
The city's public safety representatives told the council the department's existing drones have reached end of life and that the Axon system integrates directly with the department's evidence.com cloud storage. "It launches from a base that's, at this point, probably going to sit on our public safety roof," a department representative said, and officials said the new platform allows faster deployment without loading equipment into patrol cars.
Sergeant Doster, who oversees the drone program, described past uses in searches for lost people and said the department can "get a drone in the air in a matter of minutes," citing a search on 09/29/2024 in a state game area where infrared capability helped locate a lost hunter. Department staff said the model under consideration has an expected flight time of about 40 minutes and supports hot‑swap batteries so missions can resume quickly.
Officials explained the procurement includes an ongoing service element to minimize downtime. One council member repeatedly raised the cost of the annual service/maintenance package (described in the hearing as roughly $50,000 per year) and asked whether mutual‑aid partnerships or grant funding could offset that amount. Police said the city owns the units but the vendor will provide service and send replacement units when repairs are needed.
Council members also asked about operator training, ownership, and privacy. The department said current drone pilots (seven certified FAA pilots) would require limited operational training to use the new platform and pointed to the department's public policy (Policy No. 200‑86) that limits drone use to instances such as documentation of a crime scene, vehicle collisions, search and rescue, hazmat incidents, barricaded subjects, disaster response, and training. "If it's basically related to a crime, it's set in policy just like any of our body cams," the representative said.
Mayor Patricia M. Bridal and other council members urged staff to track mutual‑aid use and revisit cost‑sharing options after a trial period; staff said Sergeant Doster has begun a success/usage spreadsheet and the department would report back. The measure passed; roll call recorded unanimous support.
The council authorized the city manager to execute documents related to the purchase. The city did not set a public timeline for deployment during the meeting; staff indicated the department plans to station multiple units within the city for quicker response and to account for battery limitations.
