Warren council approves drone docks and five‑year drone program after debate on privacy and costs

Warren — The City of Warren voted Jan. 27 to fund a multi‑year public‑safety drone program that includes six rooftop drone docks and a five‑year purchase and service agreement for drones, software and installation totaling $1,709,942.66, plus a separate $367,786 budget amendment to cover immediate docking‑station purchases and installation.

Council members and staff said the technology is intended as a shared public‑safety asset for police and fire, not for routine surveillance. A city representative described the docks as a way to reduce launch/recovery workload and increase availability by placing six docks around the city while retaining five field‑deployable drones for longer missions, yielding roughly 11 total drones available to respond to incidents. Vendor and department representatives said the docks automate launch and recovery and that FAA waivers and operational rules guide missions.

At the council meeting, a Skydio solution engineer, Dave DeRosa, told the council the drones’ usable hardware life is roughly three years but that the vendor program includes quarterly inspection and automatic replacement of wearable components and batteries as those parts reach lifecycle thresholds. "Once we see the drones start to hit roughly 300 charge cycles, they automatically signal our team to start sending new hardware back out to the team," DeRosa said.

Warren public‑safety speakers emphasized limits on data collection. A department representative told council, "They do not use facial recognition. They do not listen to conversations. They do not capture audio," and said video footage would be stored in a secure evidence vault with limited retention. Officials said drones would not be used for random, untargeted surveillance but would fly for documented public‑safety purposes and calls for service.

Several council members voiced concerns about privacy, the pace of technological change, and lifecycle cost. Councilman Noonan said the overall program price — described in debate as "a little more than $2 million" when combined with the docking amendment — prompted "sticker shock," and asked whether buying everything now risked rapid obsolescence. Staff and vendor representatives said the five‑year contract includes software updates, warranty service, and scheduled hardware refreshes to mitigate obsolescence and noted prior operational metrics showing drones often arrive on scene faster than ground units.

Council members asked for measurable goals. Officials said operators complete a drone‑outcome report for each mission and that the city is tracking response‑time improvements and instances when the drone clears a call without a ground response. Department staff agreed to formalize longer‑term metrics and reporting.

On voice votes, the council approved the $367,786 amendment for drone docks and then approved the five‑year purchase and service contract; Councilman Noonan voted against the acquisition motions. The council discussion emphasized the program’s safety benefits for officers and the potential to locate missing persons in severe weather using thermal imaging, balanced against privacy and budget concerns.

The council also asked staff to produce documentation on operations, retention policies, and performance metrics to present to council and the public as the program proceeds.