Should Savage Police Use Drones?

I am all for having drones. They can be used to search for missing persons, survey crash or crime scenes and assist in apprehending suspects. The privacy concerns are greatly outweighed by the benefit to the missions of the police department.

It sounds like a good idea for use in search and rescue and public settings, no different than all the other cameras out there these days. As long as they aren't used to follow or target individuals without a warrant.

100% yes. Safety for 1st responders and an excellent way to get intel and search large open areas. Use to assist in finding missing persons as well as sending in a device that can instantly provide feedback to officers and other responders. It provides a view not easily obtained otherwise. The use of State Patrol helicopter is not always available and drones provide an near immediate aerial view. Honestly im surprised Savage doesn't already have one and reliance on mutual aid agencies further limits City of Savage Police. Plus think of the cool videos you could all shoot and up your social media game which is already pretty good.

Sounds good to me. I have nothing to hide

Savage Police should definitely have this tool to assist them in protecting our community.
I have absolutely no concerns about privacy! If one is doing nothing wrong, why worry??
Hope we can make this happen!

Yes, its a great idea, for quick action and to see things in progress. Troublesome areas can be reviewed without a police person present. This is a very good idea for a safer Savage.

I agree on using/purchasing drones for public safety but security is an issue. Who has availability to the information once filmed.

I would also like to see the drones used for finding missing pets. If they are to support both law enforcement and the community, let the community benefit in this way.

Some additional questions -
*How much is the drone purchase going to cost?
*How much does it cost to borrow a drone from another agency and how often is Savage PD requesting assistance?
*How often are other departments using drones and what is the lifespan of a drone?
*For cities that have drones, what is the research on citizens thoughts and feelings after having them implemented?
*Will Savage PD be transparent with drone usage?
*What percentage of drone assistance actually made a difference in crime prevention and solving cases, both for Savage PD and other agencies?
*Could having drones be compared to having an AED, for example? You hope to not have to use an AED, but it can literally be a life saver. Or, are 2 drones just going to be flying around for no particular reason other than surveillance in the name of "public safety"?

Thank you for considering my thoughts and questions.

Yes, I totally think they should use them.

If use was strictly, by statute, for use in natural disaster, emergency response and recovery operations, I fully support it. If it is flown over private property and captures non-public information or views, I would also want the handling/disposal of that data clearly defined. It would be unacceptable and unlawful to be used to subvert warrants, or personal rights and there should be strict policies in place detailing acceptable use and private data handling.

Yes!! Anything to help with law enforcement is good!!

Yes, I support the use of drones to fight crime. I think the use of drones would be particularly helpful to catch suspects fleeing recklessly in vehicles or running and hiding on innocents residents property.

I have worked with the Richfield Police and I have seen how those drones can be invisible from the ground and then zoom in close to see someones eye color. Amazing! I believe they are helpful in situations like looking for someone or protecting large events. But really not sure when else they would be super useful. We have drones going thru our neighborhood looking into houses right now. How will we tell the difference between the cops and the peepers? Thanks!

Yes to drones

From my perspective, there is not an easy answer here. Drones are a tool and like any tool, they can be used properly or improperly. Hammers are used to build houses. They are unfortunately also used to kill people. While I can clearly see the benefit in a missing persons situation or similar, there is also opportunity for misuse. The best way to prevent governmental misuse is transparency. Some ideas around that:
- Could there be a web site that GPS tracks the drones in realtime so the public can see where it is at all times? Obviously, if you are tracking a criminal that is an issue.
- Could there be a public "mission log" that shows when the drones were up and what they were doing (search for missing person, surveillance of 4th of July event, etc.. While realtime would be better, this could be delayed, at least when it is in support of criminal investigation, to avoid letting the criminals know.

Some questions:
- The law says the drones can be used for large public gatherings. What is the definition of that and who gets to make the call if there is judgement involved? If someone calls and said there were 6 suspicious looking teenagers in their neighborhood. Is a drone going to start surveilling them? Ball games at the park? Is there due process to get a warrant? The chief of police can decide? A random patrol officer can decide?
- The law says you have to delete the footage after 7 days unless it is part of a crime. What about derivative analysis? What if you do facial recognition and geolocation and turn the raw footage into a log of someone's movements. Is that legal? Would that data have to be expunged?
- What is the cost / benefit analysis on this purchase? How often have you requested drones from other departments? How often were they not available? How often did you want them but didn't request them because you knew it wouldn't be available in time? If they were available, what was the cost?
- If you bought drones, what percentage of the time would they be airborne? How long do they last? How often will they need to be replaced?
- What sensors do they have? Video cameras obviously. Thermal imaging? Audio? Other?

I want the Police to have the tools to protect the public safety, but I fear misuse, often with good intentions, but we know where that road leads.

A police force needs to have as many tools as possible to do their best job to protect and Sevve the residents of Savage. The use of drones is just another tool, similar to k-9 patrols, or radar guns, or leagal wire taping. If there is an issue, it often not the tool that is at fault but rather the human operator.
Go for it but see if there might be a local sponsor. The Burnsville Lions Club has donated thousands of $$ to Savage for needed services, Maybe we can name the new Savage Drone Force, the Savage Lion’s Drone Force.

As of now, I have no concerns. The problem arises when/if the police department becomes part of a larger government crackdown. If they start assisting ICE or agencies like that. Can there be safeguards put into place so that does not happen?

I really like the idea of the Police Department exploring the use of drones in order to keep officers safer and also provide an advantage in difficult situations. However, I have some serious privacy concerns. The wording laid out seems quite vague, specifically the line “keeping our communities safer over all”. I would like to see a more well defined list of exactly when drones can be used without the vague wording. I would also feel much more comfortable if the process of data destruction was laid out in more detail to ensure resident privacy. Overall I would be on board and think it is a great idea for keeping officers safe but I would like the use cases more well defined.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. The potential uses for drones in emergency situations, such as search and rescue, are compelling and I support tools that genuinely enhance public safety in such critical moments.

However, I believe the conversation about acquiring the technology must be preceded by a conversation about governing it. The state statute is a starting point, but our community needs its own clear rules to ensure this powerful technology is used responsibly and does not undermine the public trust.

My primary concern is that without a specific Savage ordinance, the use of drones will feel opaque and intimidating to residents. People need to feel secure in their own homes and backyards, not wonder if they are under surveillance. Furthermore, the promise of deleted data means little if it can be freely shared with other agencies, a practice that could exacerbate fear and distrust among immigrant communities and communities of color.

I urge the city to pause the purchase and first establish a transparent framework that includes public accountability logs, clear data-sharing prohibitions, and community oversight. Building trust through transparency is the best way to ensure any new tool truly serves and protects all of Savage.

I am in full support of purchasing drones.?The bad guys are using them why not the good guys for the safety of the community.