Should Savage Police Use Drones?
Consultation has concluded
Tell us what you think.
The Savage Police Department is thinking about buying two drones to support law enforcement operations. They’d use them for things like finding missing people, getting a bird’s-eye view during emergencies, and keeping our community safer overall. Here’s why it matters. Right now, if we need a drone, we have to wait for another agency to send one. Having our own means faster response times when every second counts.
The cost: This wouldn't come out of your taxes. We'd pay for the drones using community donations and department forfeiture funds.
What about privacy? We get it. That's a real concern. Minnesota law is pretty specific about when police can use drones without a warrant. Think life-threatening emergencies, searching for missing people, serious crash scenes, natural disasters, and keeping an eye on large public gatherings. They can also be used in public spaces when there's reasonable suspicion of a crime, for training officers, or at community events. And here's an important safeguard: per state statute 626.19, we're required to delete drone footage within seven days unless it's part of an active criminal investigation or needs to be kept for other specific legal reasons.
The bottom line? This decision affects everyone in Savage, and the city wants to hear what you think. Do you see drones as a helpful public safety tool? Do you have concerns about privacy or how they might be used? Your perspective matters
Public Comments
Consultation has concludedYes!!! Drones are an excellent technology to assist law enforcement and public safety for identifying threats and finding lost victims in our community. It’s beneficial for the safety of our law enforcement officers when in pursuit of persons in dark and low/no light environments! My husband and I FULLY support purchasing and utilizing drones in our community. We have lived here 25 years! We know other law enforcement that have purchased from Maverick Drone Systems which is local in our community and they provide training and product support!
We do not have any concerns about privacy!
Absolutely! I work at a different agency (that does have a drone) Drones are a great tool for so many reasons! Missing children/ person , catching bad guys and getting into spots that may be difficult or dangerous for the officers .
i think there should be an option to opt out of allowing drones to fly over your house, emergency or not.
I fully support Savage PD using drone technology where helpful. I do assume they will be marked as PD devices which I think is standard.
Absolutely! We have many areas that a drone would be very helpful.
Yes, I fully support the Savage Police Department using drones drones to help with law enforcement operations.
If police use drones, then the drones that police use should have some clearly visible identifier, perhaps red and blue LEDs with a black color scheme, that shows that they're police drones and not just regular civilian drones. This way citizens can know the drones belong to police and not citizens spying on them.
I fully support the concept of the Savage Police Department using drones to support law enforcement operations.
This is an idea that I would support, as long as there was adherence to state statute 626.19 and other securities in place and the other situations mentioned.
I agree with the private funding comments here as well, I'd want to ensure we're not polarizing and politicizing safety.
Our Police and Fire should have all the tools available to provide life safety for our residents.
Drone use will be equivalent to Police wearing body cameras and vehicle cameras to record events as they happen. This tool can not only provide instant eyes on the scene for command and control, but provide evidence to be used in an investigation.
Those worried about privacy need not be concerned. The rules and control for the use of drones is very strict and specific to guarantee "Big Brother" is not watching you. Stop looking under every rock for someone spying on you and be more worried about your phone tracking everything you do, everywhere you go and everything you say. Big Brother is not watching you, Big Business has your number already.
While I'm overall neutral to negative about drones, I do think that they could be of much use especially in remote areas of the city and hard to reach areas, saving manpower and resources.
Yes definitely! It is somewhat inevitable so you may as well get going and get experience. This also give you time to work out details or issues, for when they are really needed. The private funding thing does raise some questions on who is pushing this. But either way; go for it.
1. I don’t like the idea of essential city services such as police protection being subsided by donations. Even the slightest possibility that a small shadow could be cast on the open door of accountability/transparency is too great a price to pay merely to save a few tax dollars. That is a slippery slope we can not risk traversing. Not to mention that acquisition is only part of the cost; there are the hidden costs of training, maintenance and replacement. Where will those funds come from? If a service or piece of equipment is deemed necessary, then taxes should be used to pay for it.
2. How great is the need? Is Savage a crime-ridden community that needs any and every tool it can get for law enforcement? Or are drones another ‘toy’ to give Savage bragging rights?
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.’
I think drones are a good way to monitor large areas and I am fine with the police getting and using drones. It is a good method to keep everyone safe.
I think drones are excellent tools for the police and fire department to utilize. It will help keep everyone safe, especially our officer's and fire fighters.
I’ve already written in once but I thought of something else… I don’t agree that the police should be accepting any private funding. Why is a private entity funding our police? What does that get the private entity? How are they benefiting? Why are they funding drones specifically? Likely to intimidate protesters and increase our surveillance state - but who knows.
The police take up the largest portion of the city budget - why do they need private funds for this? Use budgeted funds for police matters, or include it in next year’s budget.
I’m highly in favor of the Police Department and Fire Department using drones for their work. Anything that can improve the safety of police and firefighters should be considered. Drones could be used to assist in assessing a situation before deploying resources. Misuse by officers would be highly unusual and unlikely.
As it appears police drones are already being put into use by way of requisitioning them from other departments, perhaps Savage residents can review documented result reports before going into further discussion or decision making.
Take advantage of the new drone technology - it seems like the smart thing to do to improve enforcement capabilities and I have no issues with its use.
Yes, I think they would be very helpful as long as used per the law.
Who's Listening
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Phone 952-882-2600 Email mheski@savagemn.gov