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Murrieta approves Drone-as-First-Responder program; council authorizes $150,000 initial funding
Summary
Murrieta's council unanimously approved a three‑year amendment to bring drone docks, a central pilot station and radar coverage to the city. Police leaders said drones can provide rapid situational awareness, potentially streaming live video to dispatch and incident commanders; the vendor's MSRP is $300,000 per year.
The Murrieta City Council unanimously approved a three‑year amendment to add a Drone‑as‑First‑Responder (DFR) program to police operations, with staff requesting $150,000 from Measure T unassigned fund balance for year one and a 15% contingency for infrastructure work.
Police Chief Matt Henry described the program as an expansion of the department's existing unmanned aerial system operations and said the DFR model will station three docked drones at city facilities to put "eyes on scene" faster than ground units.
"Depending on the location... I could have eyes on that front door within 90 seconds to 2 minutes," Chief Henry said, emphasizing quicker situational awareness for domestic‑violence calls, fires and missing‑person searches. Captain Jeremy Duran added operational detail, describing a dedicated DFR pilot monitoring incoming 911 activity and launching the nearest drone from a central console; live video can be streamed to officers and command staff.
Council members asked about staffing, ownership and costs. Staff said the first year would be offered at half the vendor's MSRP, with a three‑year contract totaling $750,000 (not including the contingency), and that the city would use a subscription/lease model with vendor‑maintained drones on a three‑year cycle. The department plans to reassign one sworn officer as a full‑time DFR pilot and use existing certified pilots to provide coverage.
Supporters said the program enhances officer and public safety, helps with search and rescue, event overwatch and homeless‑encampment checks, and reduces reliance on regional helicopters. Councilmember Stone moved to approve the amendment and funding; the motion passed unanimously, 5–0.
Next steps: staff will finalize the vendor agreement, schedule infrastructure installation at police and two fire facilities, and bring annual usage reporting to council as required by the city's UAS policy.
