Plano approves $1.4M police drone program; some residents raise privacy concerns

“We are the safest city in Texas and we want to stay that way,” said Plano councilman Rick Horne.

PLANO, Texas — Plano is investing $1.4 million in a new police drone program designed to help first responders reach emergency scenes faster and improve situational awareness.

The Plano City Council approved the purchase in an 8-0 vote on Monday.

Unlike the drones officers currently use, the new aircraft will launch from the tops of city buildings and be operated by trained civilian staff who communicate with dispatchers.

This story continues below.

More in Local

“It’s situational awareness. It’s helping us catch bad guys. It’s officer safety,” Plano Police Chief Ed Drain said.

Drain said civilian operators will receive training before deciding when to deploy the drones. The operators will also be required to have FAA certification to pilot the drone.

“There has to be some judgment on their part that this is a good call to launch the drone on, and they’re gonna get some training on that,” he said.

City officials say the drones can reach most locations in Plano within about 2.5 minutes, compared with the roughly five-minute response time for officers responding to critical calls.

“We are the safest city in Texas, and we want to stay that way,” a Plano councilman, Rick Horne, said before the vote.

Some residents voiced concerns about privacy during the council meeting.

“This is potentially violating our rights,” one speaker said.

Another asked, “Do you know exactly how the footage captured by these machines will be used?”

Drain said the department has safeguards in place.

“We don’t even turn the cameras on until we get to the scene to where they get to start recording things. I think we’ve got good policies in place to make sure this stuff doesn’t get abused,” he said.

The drones will be equipped with specialized imaging technology to help locate missing people, identify suspects who are hiding or fleeing, and communicate with people at emergency scenes. Officials say the drones could eventually be used to deliver items like Narcan and EpiPen, but Chief Drain told WFAA  he does not anticipate using that function very often.

“It’ll be obvious that this is a police drone and not a retail store drone,” Drain said, noting the aircraft will have lights, markings and announce themselves. Drain clarified that Motorola is the “aggregator” and owns the first response software. The drones that will be used initially are called Matrice, and within 18-24 months, the city will upgrade to the Brinc Guardian, which is a drone made in the U.S. This project calls for two to four drones.

“If you’re gonna commit a crime, don’t do it in Plano,” councilmember Steve Lavine said before voting for the drone project.

Chief Drain said docking stations will need to be installed on top of city buildings. He anticipates the program to begin within the next 60 days.