GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — City commissioners are scheduled to vote this week on whether to buy several drones for the Grand Rapids Police Department.
GRPD officially requested the city use $99,000 to purchase six drones, along with licenses and training.
If approved, the drone program would be fully operational within a month, according to what GRPD wrote in city documents.
The police department says the drones “will be in strict accordance with constitutional and privacy rights as well as FAA regulations. The UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) will be operated in accordance with Grand Rapids Administrative Policy 15-03. No UAS shall be weaponized. Artificial Intelligence will not be used to deploy UAS.”
GRPD says it would use the drones for several purposes, including locating a missing a person, documenting crime scenes and providing aerial perspective related to public safety.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom requested the purchase of drones at a Public Safety Committee meeting; committee members supported the idea unanimously.
The city hosted a public hearing in April, and many community members spoke out against the use of this technology.
READ MORE: Community members raise privacy concerns over GRPD’s proposed use of drones
However, Chief Winstrom insists his department would use the drones on a mission-specific basis rather than for conducting random surveillance.
READ MORE: GRPD Chief takes questions about drone program, privacy concerns at community meeting
Additionally, city documents show drones will not be used to deploy weapons, nor for personal use.
Operators will be required to take reasonable precautions to avoid inadvertently recording where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The resolution includes a requirement for drone operators to log the date, time and reason of each flight, along with a summary of actions.
City commissioners are set to vote on the issue Tuesday evening.
