St. Paul police have been rolling out a new program that utilizes the deployment of drones from three city buildings as an option for getting an eye to the scene of a 911 call as quickly as possible, sometimes before officers arrive on the scene.
The St. Paul police department has utilized a drone program since 2023, but the drones have been used in a different manner. Specially trained officers could deploy a drone at the scene of some instances, but the new drones are launched remotely and can arrive at a scene prior to real officers. The new drones are called “drones as first responders,” and are designed to be used in high-risk situations where weapons are involved or a suspect is on the loose and officers would benefit from having an aerial view of the situation either while they are on scene or even prior to their arrival.
“We’re going to get that drone to the 911 call immediately to start providing real-time information to the cops … to put officers in the best position to protect themselves and the community,” said St. Paul Police Deputy Chief Kurt Hallstrom. “If we can give officers information to call an armed suspect away from a residence and a family that’s inside, that’s prudent for everyone involved.”
Drone First Responders
According to the department, the three docked drones are stationed at:
- The roof of police headquarters on Grove Street near downtown
- The police Western District on Hamline Avenue off Interstate 94
- Fire station No. 7 on Ross Avenue off East Seventh Street
Senior Commander Ryan Murphy noted that the location of the drones allow the team to cover 70 percent of the city.
Each drone is controlled remotely by police department staff who provide real-time information to responding officers. They can travel up to 45 mph and can respond to a call that’s two miles away in less than three minutes by maneuvering like a bird instead of an officer navigating city streets and traffic. Every drone is equipped with three cameras, two of which are in color and a third with thermal imaging capabilities to help locate people who are hiding, injured or missing. The docked drones can only fly about 200 feet off the ground, so they need to be careful when flying through the city, and they aren’t allowed inside a business or residence. And rest assured, they do not have facial recognition capabilities. Video captured by the drones is kept for seven days, unless it is classified as evidence for a case, according to state law.
Docked drones aren’t sent out for most calls, but when they are utilized, they are effective. As of last week, when a docked drone was sent out, it was the first on scene 50 percent of the time, according to department data. Moreover, in 11 percent of cases a drone went to, officers were no longer needed based on assessment of a drone’s footage because there was no longer an issue for law enforcement. So not only are police arriving on a scene sooner, but the drones are freeing up police to complete more urgent tasks and better serve the community. It seems like a win-win!
But can these drones operate without a warrant? Come back to our blog tomorrow as we explore when authorized police drone use is allowed under Minnesota law. And in the meantime, if you need legal help with a criminal matter of your own, connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
