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Chief outlines drone purchases, tariffs delay and participation in regional drone-first-responder plans
Summary
The Police Chief said a planned $40,000 drone airframe purchase was delayed after a 20% tariff-driven price jump; he described smaller drones in use, FAA rule changes, mutual-aid training with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and a city role as a potential secondary test site for a regional drone-first-responder pilot.
The Police Chief told the Finance Committee a planned main drone airframe budgeted at $40,000 for 2025 remains unspent after tariffs raised costs about 20 percent; he said the existing airframe is still flyable but the department is waiting for prices to normalize. "We have yet to spend that, and the main reason is, a significant tariff has been placed on these items and the cost went up 20%," the chief said.
He described operational changes and partnerships: the department has four FAA-licensed drone pilots and multiple certified observers, runs mutual training with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and has purchased smaller patrol-deployable drones to supplement the larger aircraft. The chief discussed regional work on drone-first-responder (DFR) projects—Dublin and Hilliard have active efforts and the city "signed on as a partner" to be a possible secondary test site in federal grant applications.
