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Council hears police chief outline of drone first-responder and tethered-drone options
Summary
Chief Mitchell described a robust existing drone program and proposed researching a tethered 360-degree drone and a drone first-responder system for large events; he urged the council to research other cities before expanding program costs in FY27.
Chief Mitchell told the council the department already operates a "pretty robust" drone program with units assigned to patrol and traffic work and a captain overseeing operations. He described scenarios where drones assist missing-person searches and said the department receives real-time feeds that commanders can access remotely.
"I think that is the future, going to be the future of law enforcement," Chief Mitchell said of drone technology, and he described tethered drone systems that can be deployed for events to provide sustained 360-degree coverage from a fixed location. He recommended a cautious, staged approach: research other cities' experience and propose tethered drones as a FY27 request rather than immediate implementation.
Council members asked what triggers would justify moving from research to deployment (crowd size, available funding, or a major incident). Chief Mitchell said crowd size at special events and the availability of a command vehicle or other coordinated resources would be among the deployment triggers, and he indicated price points for hardware are shifting and might make future phases more economical.
Staff emphasized the need to develop usage guidelines and privacy policies before broader deployment and to coordinate any procurement timing with other capital and equipment priorities.
