Should Savage Police Use Drones?

I absolutely think the city should use drones. The pilots will need to be licensed and insured (under FAA regulations). They are a great tool, and I think will be really helpful. There are laws around the use of drones and privacy, that protect the public. I know there are people concerned about the use of tax payer dollars. If tax payer dollars were ever used, I believe the use of drones would be a cost savings. If we can improve training, solve crimes faster, do a better job of protecting the public, taking aerial footage of crime scenes or accidents, this will save tax payer dollars over the long-term. I see zero reason why we would not. It makes a ton of sense to get our own drones if we are borrowing other’s resources to do the work we can do.

I think the drones are a good idea as long as...
They are operated legally.
They do not require taxpayer funding at any time.
Savage Police create policies that cover the above two points.
My opinion is that the need for public safety overrides the concern for privacy, at SPECIFIC times when the public is truly in danger.

Drones are a horrible idea. It might start out as private donations; however continued support will eventually come from taxpayers. Eventually this will become an annual cost in the future. You will need more than two just for training. They are toys, if other local police have them like Burnsville, I'm sure they will assist if actually needed. My experience in the military in Afghanistan and Iraq have proven that small unit four propeller drowns are not reliable and very susceptible to hacking. I also believe a Police Force drone over any private property below or above FFA regulations would require a Search Warrant. Very slippery legal road that's not worth the cost nor the angst. For a drone to be effective looking for a pet or a person would require heat signature and infer red capabilities. Those private donations will not last long. Training officers on taxpayer dollars would be immediate with time training instead of patrolling. Will private donations pay for their training while other officers fill in? The taxpayer input will be unavoidable and ongoing.

Yes, i agree to Savage city police using the drones for the specified legal reasons. I also agree to the police financing this with donations specific for drones and public grants.

Savage should have drones. I'm surprised they don't already have drones. Borrowing them from another jurisdiction wastes time, which is kinda the point of drones. The BCA doesn't know Savage like the Savage staff does. I say give the people that take care of Savage the tools they need to do their job.

No, no no no and a final NO. This is a technology that will be contracted out and used in ways that it was not sold as. It has been disastrous for the communities that have allowed them.

I think it is very important to give our Police Department this tool as another tool to help in the prevention and/or to lessen the impact of a crime. In fact, I am somewhat surprised that we are utilizing this tool now.
I have no concerns about privacy.

I think they would be a good tool for law enforcement and they should be purchased and used.

You can say you won’t use tax payer dollars but that is not correct. Video is large data and needs to be stored on servers/infra. Even if stored short term. This is tax payer dollars. You have staff time to fly and maintain. You need to fill Faa flight plans to be legal. All time and money.

Drones and Dogs, I believe that anything that can help our police force do their jobs without putting themselves in addition danger is a good idea. Dogs are fabulous as are drones for searching out areas that hind danger.
I've never worried about my personal space, I quit steaking after my college days.
I totally support drones, if only one officer's life is saved, it's dam well worth whatever the cost.

Absolutely not. This is absolutely rude for abuse. Please use this money for additional training.

Monitoring public spaces may be acceptable, but drones should not hover over our backyards or intrude on our privacy. I would normally be completely opposed to this, but since the City of Savage displaced the local gangs from Riverbend Park to Loftus Park, the area around Loftus Park has become unusable for nearby residents. The gangs fight daily throughout the summer and leave litter along Vernon Avenue as they come and go. It has reached the point where I regret moving here.

Im in favor for search and rescue but Im in agreement with commenter TWH, as they said:

3. Loss of privacy is a HUGE concern for me. Many comments endorsing the use of drones condition that endorsement with qualifications. I am in the camp of those urging caution and implementing careful, thoughtful, and clear delineations of permissible use of drones. Policies need to be in place BEFORE the practice begins. We are in a time of surveillance and loss of privacy issues. Are drones going to be used to find missing persons? That’s a good thing. Are drones going to be used to gather evidence to prove the guilt of someone already presumed a criminal? That’s entirely different. Sometimes I wonder if ‘innocent until proven guilty’ has become ‘guilty until proven innocent.’

They would be fine if used for emergency purposes, such as missing persons and criminal searches. I would not approve of them being used for everyday citizen surveillance.

My main concerns are as follows:

What is the opportunity cost of what we aren't getting instead of these drones. What's the alternative that we are not funding in order to get these?

Also, what are the costs of operating/maintaining the drones and training people to use them? Or are those built in to the acquiring costs? Does this increase our city insurance for any malfunctions/crashes/etc.?

"Reasonable suspicion" in public spaces is a low threshold, so there’s potential for surveillance creep if not carefully monitored and audited over time. People will need public education on the topic to feel comfortable.

Even if footage must be deleted in seven days when not part of an investigation, drones inevitably capture bystanders’ faces, activities, or homes. Also, people may not be aware they're being recorded or lower participation for fear of being recorded, which could potentially lower our freedom of movement or expression at various town gatherings.

How long until there is a program expansion or mission creep once we have the drones in hand?

I support the use of drones for necessary public safety endeavors when utilized under previously established policies and guidelines. I am less concerned about previous comments regarding the donation of funds to support the purchase of drones assuming that the funds being donated are from other charitable or certain non-profit organizations. It is not unusual for organizations such as the Rotary Club or the Lions Club to donate Kevlar vests or other needed items as part of their charitable work and support of law enforcement. While I am not positive, I would assume the Savage PD has been the beneficiary of such gifts in the past with little to no problems arising.

Absolutely. Keeping our neighborhoods safe has to be our highest priority. Also the use for finding missing individuals is a plus for families as well. We need to support our officers any way we can and keep them safe as well and this will expedite some cases and give them eyes where they normally wouldn’t have them. I don’t see a down side to this. Thank you for listening to the community.

I have seen the Police use drones in Savage on two separate occasions already, one was just a few weeks ago at the new apartments by Redtail ridge. Why is this question coming up now and what are those drones from?

I support the use of drones by the Savage Police Department, as long as resident's personal privacy is protected. I think these devices can be a useful tool in protecting the safety of those living in or visiting our community.

I have no problem with the city using drones but would like to know they would be made identifiable from a privately operated drone.