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Albany police present Skydio drone-first-responder plan; commissioners discuss phased rollout, privacy safeguards

City of Albany Commission

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Summary

Police and Skydio showed a data-driven drone deployment model that would place docked drones across the city to provide faster eyes-on-scene for priority calls. The commission discussed phased daytime deployment with a planned move toward 24/7 operations pending staffing and budget approval.

Police leaders and a representative of Skydio presented a proposal on Nov. 18 to implement a drone-first-responder (DFR) program in Albany using docked, American-made drones placed at city facilities.

Skydio used 2024 calls-for-service data to model drone dock placement and response coverage. Jeff Bullpit (Skydio) said docking stations with a 2.5-mile radius could place drones overhead for many priority-1 incidents in roughly three minutes; the company’s simulation filtered the data to show roughly 17,681 priority-1 calls in 2024 and estimated that about 90% of those could receive eyes-on-scene within three minutes with full deployment. The chief emphasized the benefits for officer safety, quicker situational awareness in active-violence or hazardous-material incidents, and the potential to clear some lower-priority calls without a patrol response.

Commissioners asked about vendor competition, data handling and privacy safeguards, operational hours, and costs. Skydio and police leaders said the initial phase would operate during daytime while staff and the real-time information center train; the department plans to request a budgeted public-safety operator to extend coverage to 24/7. The vendor said docks and aircraft are American-assembled and that maintenance, software and repairs are included in the proposed contract.

Commissioners expressed interest in careful policy development, public transparency about flights and a plan for staffing so drones can be launched during off‑hours if necessary (e.g., gunshot-detection triggers). The commission added the item to the agenda for consideration and requested further procurement and policy details.