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Council accepts donated contribution and authorizes contract for a city Drone-as-First-Responder program
Summary
The council authorized a three-year contract (not to exceed $375,000) with Flock Group Inc. for an unmanned aerial system to serve as a Drone-as-First-Responder; the administration said a private donor committed funding to offset taxpayer cost and the council discussed data custody, operational triggers, and transparency safeguards.
The City Council authorized a three-year contract with Flock Group Incorporated, not to exceed $375,000, to implement a citywide Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) program intended to provide rapid aerial situational awareness to police, fire and harbor operations.
Ryan Duffy, director of public safety and chief of police, outlined five program uses: rapid on-scene aerial awareness ("frequently arriving before ground units in under 90 seconds"), fireground thermal and visual support, harbor and maritime search-and-rescue, municipal infrastructure inspections, and coastline baseline mapping for FEMA disaster recovery. Duffy also said the city secured a committed private contribution to offset municipal costs and invited the donor to speak. The donor spoke briefly and said there were "no strings attached" to the gift.
A vendor representative, Carl Bach of Flock Safety, described features of the DFR platform, including limited activation only for specific calls for service, a public transparency portal showing flight patterns, reasons for deployment and duration, and recording that begins only after a drone reaches scene. Councilors pressed on data control and sharing. Chief Duffy said the city owns and controls the data, stored in a cloud server accessed by the city, and that missions will be mission-driven rather than routine patrol flights. He told the council the system is intended to enhance situational awareness and said legal and Fourth Amendment restrictions would be honored.
After questions on coverage, insurance, and the program's $375,000 price tag (which the administration said covers full infrastructure, training and transparency features), the council voted to authorize the contract. Several councilors thanked the donor and called the technology a significant public-safety enhancement.
