Some police departments are testing out new drone technology, meant to capture emergency situations in real time.
The Minnetonka Police Department and Rochester Police Department are launching the Drone as First Responder (DFR) program.
Minnetonka police say six drone docks will be spread out on city-owned buildings. Many police departments across the state use drones, but this takes it one step further, using this technology to respond to emergency calls in real time.
“It’s an exciting technology,” said Chief Brian Podany, with the Blaine Police Department.
Podany says his department has researched this extensively, but hasn’t secured funding.
“We’re always looking at what we can do more efficiently in order to try and protect lives and save lives and use government resources effectively,” Podany said.
The way it works is that drones are dispatched from fixed launch points around the city to an in-progress crime or other emergency ahead of responding units, providing live video to officers.
“It can be increased not only safety for the responding officers but the people that are there,” Podany said.
But with these drones flying all over, what about your privacy?
“That was probably one of the biggest concerns, like, ‘Wait, is this big brother type thing, what is this?’” Podany said.
Per Minnesota state statute, Minnetonka police say it will limit these flights to public safety calls, cannot be used for random patrols and all video is logged in a public dashboard.
“I think it’s important because it addresses people’s privacy concerns, too, and what are they actually being used for,” Podany added.
Over the years, ACLU-MN has brought forth several concerns with law enforcement drone use. ACLU-MN legal director, Teresa Nelson, sent the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:
“The ACLU-MN has worked in the legislature over the course of several years to ensure that Minnesota law balances the critical need to protect privacy while also allowing drones to be used in emergency situations. We believe that the current legal requirements strike that balance by requiring warrants in most circumstances, with limited exceptions including emergency situations that involve the risk of death or bodily harm to a person. We expect that agencies implementing new drone programs will take the steps necessary to ensure that their use of drones complies with state law, including obtaining a warrant when required to do so.”
Minnetonka police say the program costs $260,000 to operate yearly. Over time, they hope it saves the department money by reducing unnecessary responses.
The program is expected to launch in Minnetonka with a public event next month.
