Council approves one-year pilot for police drone-as-first-responder program

Council considered Bill 6558, an ordinance authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute an agreement in substantially the attached form with Motorola Solutions to pilot a Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) program. The ordinance, moved for second reading by Council Member Norris, would start with a one-year trial period and, if adopted formally after the pilot, proceed to a four-year contract. “It would be a oneyear trial period that leads into a fouryear contract,” an official explained during the presentation.

Major Ryan Dick Herbert and other staff described operations and vendor responsibilities: the drone would be roof-mounted at the police department, fly autonomously to coordinates tied to 911 calls, provide imaging aimed at the horizon, and the vendor would assist the city in obtaining FAA waivers for airport airspace. Council members raised privacy and airspace concerns; Council Member Satel specifically asked whether the city would need to contact the airport tower before each flight, and staff said Motorola would coordinate FAA and airport approvals. The ordinance passed on a roll-call vote of 8–0 and became Ordinance 26-36.