Brooklyn Park police propose real‑time operations center and 10‑year drone contract paid from forfeiture funds

Police leadership on Wednesday detailed a plan to expand intelligence‑led operations that would pair a small real‑time operations center (RTOC) with a citywide drone first‑responder program.

Chief Mark Prudeley said the RTOC buildout would cost about $140,000 for room construction and technology; staff propose funding that initial set‑up from forfeiture funds, not the general fund. He also described a 10‑year contract with a vendor identified in the presentation as SkyDeal for a drone first‑responder program that would place drones at city buildings (primarily fire stations) and provide hardware refreshes and docking infrastructure. The total price, after subtracting money the city already set aside, was presented as $4.6 million over 10 years.

Prudeley described operational uses — searching for missing people, supporting officers at in‑progress incidents, assisting fire crews and traffic responses — and said state statute governs when drones may be flown. He highlighted privacy and transparency measures the department intends to use if the program is approved: public flight logs and a transparency portal noting flight time and purpose, automatic deletion of most drone footage after seven days (with shorter deletion targets proposed and exceptions only for evidence), and limits on access to footage. "We will likely choose to delete it in 3 days unless it's part of a crime or an instance that we've captured evidence of a crime," the chief said.

Council members pressed for details about operational constraints and statutory authority; Deputy Chief Faust observed that state law allows drones to support searches, crimes in progress, missing‑person responses and other operational uses and that drones can be dispatched to scenes before officers arrive.

Chief Prudeley said the contract includes a two‑year period in which the city would not pay for drones (the vendor would not invoice until 2028), and the city could opt out before payments were required. He said the RTOC and drone program would use seized forfeiture funds for start‑up and that the program could be scaled or ended if council later declined to continue funding.

Council members expressed interest in a demonstration and asked staff to bring the contract for formal consideration at an upcoming meeting. No action was taken at the work session.