GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After introducing the plan in March, the Grand Rapids Police Department continued its push for drones at a public hearing on Tuesday.
“It’s the right thing to do for the citizens of Grand Rapids,” said Chief Eric Winstrom, adding that all the people in the city deserve “adequate police service.”
Chief Winstrom described the drone program as a way to maximize GRPD’s service in the city, saying the drones could make up for staff limitations, help with traffic crash investigations, assist with search-and-rescue missions and provide surveillance for special events.
He also mentioned other nearby departments that already utilize drones, including Kalamazoo, Kentwood, Wyoming, Walker and even the Michigan State University Police.
“Whether you live in the Third Ward or the Second Ward,” he said, “you deserve adequate police service. And you should be expected to receive that here in the second biggest city in the state of Michigan.”
However, Winstrom also addressed concerns and criticisms about police drones in Grand Rapids, mostly surrounding issues of privacy.
READ: Grand Rapids Police Department pitches plan for drones
At Tuesday’s hearing, numerous people approached the mic, very few in support of the plan. Most opposed the plan because of surveillance concerns.
“It is fair to say that if you think drones impact privacy, you’re not realistic about modern life. We all have a smartphone. That ship has kind of sailed,” said one Grand Rapids resident. “I understand why cops want drones for reasons that could be honorable, but also still unlock plenty of abuses. Let’s not forget that GRPD is working at a massive deficit of trust, a racially informed deficit.”
Many residents expressed distrust towards GRPD and cited recent events such as the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya and the pending civil rights cases against the department.
Some called drones inherently “invasive.”
Commissioner Kelsey Perdue of the Third Ward asked about data ownership. The data would be owned by GRPD, Winstrom explains, and would only be released in compliance with the law.
In his presentation, Chief Winstrom admitted the “overcapture of data” is a concern.
While the official privacy policy is still in the works, he said all drone operators would be trained to forgo recording if there is a privacy concern. He emphasized that the drones will not be used if there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy, except in cases of search warrants or imminent dangers.
Also, the city of Grand Rapids already bans facial recognition systems, he said.
Winstrom also said the department is currently conversing with community groups and will continue to do so as the plan goes forward.
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“We’ve already been out to neighborhood associations, and we’ll continue that when the neighborhood associations have meetings over the new few weeks. We’re going to stop and listen to them about drones,” Winstrom said.
The plan would cost around $100,000, plus an annual cost of $20,000 for training, maintenance, and data storage.
Following Tuesday’s public hearing, city leaders will forward the drone proposal to the Fiscal Committee for review. To learn more about the GRPD proposal, see the presentation here.
