Dozens of community members flooded Minneapolis City Hall Wednesday to express concerns about a proposed drone program for Minneapolis police.
Nearly 50 people signed up to speak at the City Council鈥檚 public health, safety and equity committee meeting. Residents filled all of the seats in the council chambers reserved for the public, and an overflow room next door.
鈥淲e just spent months enduring a brutal winter of military-equipped federal occupation and terrorization, and on the heels of that, you wish to provide military-grade drone tech to the cops in our already over-surveilled neighborhoods?鈥� said north Minneapolis resident Will Reely, referring to federal immigration enforcement during Operation Metro Surge. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be serious.鈥�
Speakers said they don鈥檛 trust how the police would use drones, and are concerned the technology could be used as surveillance and lead to invasion of privacy.
Several people also sat in the hallway outside of the council chambers and streamed the hearing. The 1:30 p.m. meeting began with Minneapolis police officials outlining a free, 75-day pilot program that would allow the police department to use drones as 鈥渇irst responders.鈥�
The committee moved to put the pilot program for a vote before the full council on July 16, which will not feature an additional public comment period on the issue. Should the council approve the program, the trial period would begin as soon as July 20.
The project would be conducted in the police department鈥檚 Fourth Precinct on the city鈥檚 north side, and hopes to reduce 911 response times by using drones to livestream video of potential crime scenes before officers arrive. The drones, which would be equipped with parachutes, police markings and lights, would be provided by Skydio, a California company.
Several community members noted that Skydio is known to supply drones to the Israeli government, which has used the technology during their military campaign against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
鈥淲e see them as weapons of war and mass surveillance, and do not want them to be used to kill or control people at home or abroad,鈥� Minneapolis resident Meredith Aby said of Skydio drones. 鈥淭he people of Minneapolis do not want Skydio鈥檚 blood on its hands.鈥�
More speakers questioned whether Minneapolis police would use the drones for the intended purpose, and questioned whether their use would actually improve safety.
鈥淲hat I don鈥檛 understand is why we would implement a drone program under the guise of public safety,鈥� Avery Winters told council members. 鈥淲e the people don鈥檛 trust the people or the system administering this.鈥�
Before the public comment period, Minneapolis police officials presented the pilot program to the City Council committee, saying that it would improve officer and community safety and help with staffing challenges. Andy Skoogman, chief of staff for the city鈥檚 Office of Community Safety, said officers can use drones to determine whether they need to report to a scene, improving the department鈥檚 efficiency.
鈥淒rones are not a replacement for police officers, for firefighters, for EMS (Emergency Medical Services) personnel or other first responders,鈥� Skoogman, who is not a police officer, told council members. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e simply a tool that helps ensure the right resources are sent to the right call at the right time.鈥�
Thomas Campbell, deputy chief of patrol in Minneapolis police鈥檚 special operations division, said the drones would be operated remotely, would only be activated at potential crime scenes, and that their cameras would be pointed away from private property. Footage that isn鈥檛 considered evidence would be deleted after seven days, he said.
Minneapolis police have been using drones for other purposes since 2022, and have a fleet of 29 drones. Officers currently launch drones from the trunks of their squad cars, and deploy them after they鈥檝e been requested by officers who are already present at a scene. The proposed program would allow drones to scope out a scene before officers arrive.
Minnesota law allows local police departments to use drones without a search warrant in specific cases:
Ward 4 City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, who represents the area where the pilot program would occur, wrote a legislative directive this spring that prompted the program. At the end of Wednesday鈥檚 meeting, she reassured community members that the goal is to reduce response times and limit police interactions with the public.
鈥淭his is not surveillance,鈥� Vetaw said. 鈥淪omeone has to call in for the drone to be dispatched, and the dashboard will be set up where people can track how the drone was being used and what for during the service.鈥�
Committee members asked a few technical questions during the hearing about how the drone program would work, but several of them said they were saving more discussion and personal views of the program for the full council vote next week.
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