Orland Park highlights public-safety budget, unveils 'Cruise Lights' drone pilot
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Summary
Officials said this year’s budget prioritizes public safety and described a pilot drone program, Cruise Lights, that dispatchers can launch through the CAD system; officials also noted a new police hire, Holly, and referenced an 'Amazon' facility in remarks about partnerships.
Orland Park officials said the village’s main budget priority this year is investment in public safety and described a pilot program that would deploy drones to incident scenes.
An agency official said the "main budget theme... is investment in public safety," and described a drone pilot integrated with the village’s computer-aided dispatch system. "Our dispatchers are able to hit a button. This drone then launches and flies to the scene and call for service," the agency official said, adding that response times are expected to improve.
Mayor Jim Dodge identified the pilot by name, saying, "The new program that we're piloting called Cruise Lights." Officials said they hope the program leads to a long partnership. The transcript records the word "Amazon" followed by another speaker saying "facility," though officials did not provide details about the nature of any formal partnership in the address.
Officials also referenced a recent addition to the police department, naming "Holly" as a new hire for the force. The agency official framed the drone pilot as one of several public-safety investments included in the budget.
No vote or formal action on the program was recorded in the address. Mayor Dodge closed the remarks by emphasizing local collaboration: "When residents, businesses, and local government work together, we build a stronger future for Orland Park."
