Council approves interlocal MOU creating consolidated Sarpy County drone team

The City Council on March 3 approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal cooperation agreement among Sarpy County and neighboring cities to create a consolidated Sarpy County drone team, the mayor announced.

Councilmember Mumbgaard asked the police chief to explain the proposal before the vote. "I think in its simplest form, this is simply an MOU that is consolidating ... we all work together," the police chief said. He described the agreement as designed to provide command-and-control when multiple jurisdictions respond to a single, larger incident and to clarify who holds and transfers drone footage as evidence. "One of our officers, Travis Roseboom, who's a drone expert, will be the commander of that," he said. "But generally speaking, it doesn't change our day to day operations."

The police chief emphasized the MOU is similar to existing joint teams such as SWAT and is intended to reduce confusion over who is operating which drone during multi-agency responses. He added that evidence collected by the consolidated team would be handled in the same manner as other joint teams, with custody transferred per the agreement.

The council voted with the clerk recorded as "7 ayes, 0 nays," and the motion passed.

Why it matters: The agreement aims to streamline responses and evidence handling when two or more law-enforcement agencies deploy drones at the same scene. Council debate focused on clarifying that the MOU does not expand routine drone operations; federal rules and FAA authority continue to govern flight operations.

What comes next: The resolution is now approved at the council level; operational protocols, training, and custody procedures will be implemented by the participating agencies under the MOU.