Everett City Council Update: Changing the Skies of Everett
During the April 2nd Community Health and Safety Council Committee meeting, one topic came up that may change the skies of Everett - drones.
Not just any drones, but Drones as First Responders (DFR) that are intended to support officers of the Everett Police Department respond to public safety concerns throughout the city. Captain Robert Goetz, the project manager for this initiative, helped introduce this topic to the committee and also spoke at the City Council meeting on April 9th.
These drones build on the technology and support already provided by Flock security traffic cameras and, while these drones cannot replace uniformed officers, the intention is for these to act as a “force multiplier” for the department. Two drones would provide 24/7 coverage for the whole city and, according to the presentation, can help address about 20% of calls without needing to dispatch an officer.
One of the greatest benefits to this DFR program is that officers will receive real-time data from scenes of reported criminal activity, which will improve efficiency and response-time. In fact, it is expected that response time will drop from about 4 minutes (the average time for the highest priority calls) to about 86 seconds.
Goetz shared that the DFR policies were written in partnership with the ACLU, the Department of Justice, and others to ensure that civil liberties are protected with the use of this new technology. This means that drones will not be used for immigration enforcement, monitoring first amendment activities, or for tracking medical access, among other activities. Drones will only be operated by individuals who are trained to do so and records will follow the same guidelines as body cameras. Drones will not be equipped with facial recognition software and the public will have full access to a dashboard that will show flight data including the flight path, case number, and the type of incident the drone was used for. Members of the public will also be able to visit the DFR Pilot Lounge in person when it opens (in June or July).
Garret Thomson, who covers WA state for Flock safety, and Brett Kanda, one of the specialists for the region, took us through a live demonstration of a DFR drone operating in California. He emphasized the shortened response times and how officers and departments using this technology are able to get more context so officers are able to respond more appropriately, no matter what the situation. He also emphasized that these drones also automatically track other aviation traffic to avoid issues while in use.
These drones have been a bit of a hot topic, being noted in both the Mayor’s State of the City and the April 9th City Council meeting. And while the hope is that this will improve public safety and build partnerships with neighboring communities (as the information gathered by these drones can be shared with the Fire Department and can fly as far north as Tulalip), there is still the concern of cost. While this did pass Council, with only Councilmember Vogeli voting against the measure, the two year contract recommended by the city and accepted by the council is expected to cost an estimated total of $507,133, though only $50,000 is due at the time the contract is signed. This is not only due to the relationship the city of Everett has built with the Flock company, but also because the first year will act as a “pilot” to see if Everett benefits in the way that the city hopes. If it doesn’t, we have the option of opting out of the technology.
You can learn more reviewing the Community Health and Safety Council Committee agenda and Flock presentation here, as well as watching the City Council meeting here.
Angela Di Filippo currently works in State Social Services and recently earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with extensive training in evidence-based leadership coaching. Angela moved from North Carolina to Washington 6 years ago and has proudly called Everett her home for 5 of those years. When not helping others solve problems in creative and strength-driven ways, Angela enjoys her time painting, hiking with her terrier-mix, Indy, and eating waffles.
