Minneapolis City Council rejects police drone contract with controversial Skydio
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The Minneapolis City Council rejected a drone pilot program that would allow the Minneapolis Police Department to contract with the controversial company Skydio.
Council members were divided on the issue, both sides citing public safety concerns.
Dozens of Minneapolis residents attended the Minneapolis City Council meeting Thursday to oppose the proposal, filling an overflow room.
Residents also submitted 165 pages of written comments, the vast majority opposing the pilot. They cited privacy and safety concerns and criticized the fact that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Israeli military use Skydio drones.
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MPD already uses drones in some circumstances, but the pilot program proposed using drones as first responders for 75 days, at no cost to the city.
According to the pilot proposal, drones would respond to 911 calls and livestream video of the scene to dispatch. The Skydio proposal said their drones would allow for MPD to determine if dispatching officers is necessary. If it is, the livestreamed video would provide officers critical information as they arrive at a scene. The drones could also be located to find missing persons.
Council member LaTrisha Vetaw spearheaded the initiative. Vetaw represents part of north Minneapolis.
“Getting eyes on a missing person sooner can make the difference between life and death. If this program saves one life, it's worth trying,” Vetaw said.
“If it doesn't deliver the results we expect, that's exactly why it's the 75-day pilot program.”
Members who supported the proposal said drones would help an understaffed city police force strategically use their resources and could help police know ahead of time if a scene is dangerous or not so they can accurately calibrate their response.
However, several members spoke passionately against the pilot, in some cases criticizing expanding the use of drones at all. Others focused their concern on Spydio specifically.
Council member Jamal Osman previously supported the pilot. However, he changed his mind after he learned Spydio drones have been used by ICE — which used drones to monitor Minnesotans this winter — and the Israeli military.
“I support exploring technology that can help, including drones, in our first response, but only with a vendor that has no contract with militaries that are killing other people,” Osman said.
Mayor Jacob Frey attended the meeting to support the proposed pilot.
“I don't think Minneapolis should have our own residents as collateral damage because of geopolitics,” Frey said before being interrupted by laughs and disagreement from some members of the public.
“Refusing this pilot, I don't believe sends a message to Israel. It does make it more difficult for us to provide the necessary safety to our residents in this city at this point in time.”
Despite Frey throwing his weight behind the proposal, it failed on a tied 6-6 vote.
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette said in a statement that he believes the city missed an opportunity to see what this technology could do for the community.
“At the end of the day, good public policy should be based on evidence,” Barnette said in the statement. “This pilot would have allowed us to evaluate the technology using real-world data gathered here in Minneapolis — not assumptions. While we're disappointed with today's outcome, we remain committed to exploring responsible, innovative ways to strengthen public safety for everyone in our city.”
The proposal planned for two drone docks located at Fire Station 14 in north Minneapolis.
According to the proposal, non-evidentiary footage would be deleted within seven days. There would also be a public online dashboard that tracks flight data and the reason for the flights.
Police departments in five other Minnesota cities already contract with Skydio: St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, Minnetonka, Brooklyn Park.
According to the proposal, Skydio drones have flown almost 600 missions in St. Paul since May 30. Data from the St. Paul Police Department said in that time period, the drones have helped locate at least 45 people and have contributed to 46 arrests. The St. Paul Police Department said the drones arrive on the scene within 90 seconds.
Skydio didn’t respond to a request for comment.
