Overview
- The St. Paul City Council voted Wednesday to deny authorization for the police department to apply for federal grant funding that would have expanded the docked drone fleet.
- Police say a docked drone helped find and guide officers to a child with autism in a pond by arriving about two minutes before officers, an example the department used to defend the program.
- The police department says its written policy limits drone use to calls for service, bans general surveillance of protests and facial recognition, and publishes a public portal listing drone responses.
- Residents and protesters packed the council meeting to press privacy worries and to question Skydio’s reported federal or military work, a concern that previously led Minneapolis to reject a Skydio contract in July.
- With expansion paused the current three drones remain active, the council has asked the department for more information, and the decision could shape how local officials approve federal funding for surveillance technology going forward.