Should Savage Police Use Drones?

I'm generally in favor of using drones for public safety purposes. However, we have to maintain tight standards and local control over their use. And I feel that they should be used sparingly - I don't want to have our skies filled with them like in the movie "The Giver"(!). Transparency into their use is critical and there needs to be a good strategy for communications.

I appreciate the City of Savage engaging the community on issues like this. One of the many reasons I am proud to live here.

In principle, yes — drones could be beneficial for the right reasons. However, I have serious concerns. Is there a clear, transparent way to reassure residents that these drones will not be used to track or monitor the people of Savage? And can we guarantee that any footage collected will not be shared with ICE or other government agencies? Given the current climate, drones often feel more like an added threat than a community benefit, and strong safeguards would be essential.

I whole-heartedly endorse the use of drones by the Savage PD. They should have every tool that's practical to use in their day-to-day and emergency situations at their disposal. As a member of the Burnsville-Savage Lions Club, I am proud of our club taking a leadership role towards helping the department getting this equipment as soon as possible. I urge all service clubs and organizations that support the Police to get on board and financially back this worthwhile project. Mark Zastrow

I'm in favor. Perhaps the city could also use it for videos of Dan Patch Days, road construction progress, etc.

Yes, drones would be another tool in the toolbox to find missing children and adults, follow criminals once a high speed pursuit is deemed unsafe, watch a wildfire, etc. Of course, safeguards for potential misuse must be established and monitored by outside committee/agency.

I support law enforcement use of drones as outlined in the explanation, not so much the use by private citizens, but that is not the question. It would be helpful to have a place where residents could look to see how a drone is being used when we see one in the area (e.g. training, missing person, crime or accident investigation, etc.). I came out of my house on September 18 and there was a very large drone, similar to a very small helicopter, hovering over what was probably CR 42 and Hwy 13. I could see and hear it from my driveway. Because it was so large, I expected to be able to find something about its use in the area. I was unable to find any info about it. Proactive messaging about upcoming law enforcement drone use would be good but even after-the-fact notice would be helpful. Thanks for soliciting input.

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