St. Louis Police Cleared to Fly Drones to 911 Calls
The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve rules for a new drone unit that will respond to select 911 calls. The mayor voted no, and the camera-angle pledge appears only in an FAQ, not in the order itself.
The Board of Police Commissioners in St. Louis, Missouri, voted 4-1 on Wednesday to approve the special orders governing the police department's new Aerial Response Unit. Police said the first test flights and responses to select 911 emergency calls could begin as early as Wednesday afternoon. Mayor Cara Spencer cast the only no vote.
The drones are BRINC aircraft launched from docking stations and flown remotely by pilots at the department's Real-Time Crime Center. In May, the board had approved buying six of them on the condition that policies and a public engagement plan be approved before any flights.
Camera pledge is not in the order
The department's FAQ tells residents the camera faces the horizon while traveling to a call and tilts down only at the scene. Special Order 5-35, however, sets no camera angle. It says transit cameras will be used primarily for safety of flight and navigation. The order does not bar recording en route, though it tells pilots to avoid unnecessary observation of people, homes or yards unrelated to the incident. It also names no retention period in days, deferring to existing department policy, while the FAQ says a specific policy will be finalized before launch.
What the order prohibits
The order bans weapons, generalized surveillance and patrolling neighborhoods solely to look for crime. It bars facial recognition unless the department adopts a separate policy. Every pilot must hold an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Part 107 certificate.
Mayor's objections and funding
Spencer said the plan was not ready for a vote, noting she had seen the final version for 48 hours and that it had drawn no public feedback. The other four votes came from commissioners appointed by the governor. The nearly $583,000 first-year cost is covered by the St. Louis Police Foundation, so taxpayers pay nothing in year one, according to the department.
