LEBANON , Tenn. (WSMV) – The Lebanon City Council is set to vote on whether to allow the police department to launch a trial drone program in partnership with Motorola Solutions.
The department has been supplied with four drones for the proposed program.
Two of them are semi-autonomous and would be controlled remotely by dispatchers, allowing officers to survey a scene before arriving.
The remaining two would be used for tactical purposes, including allowing officers to communicate with subjects and drop items such as Narcan.
Zach Patton, a spokesperson for the Lebanon Police Department, said the program is aimed at supporting officers and the broader community.
“If we can leverage technology to not only help our community but keep our officers safe and firefighters safe, that’s what we’re going to do,” Patton said.
Patton said the drones are not intended to replace personnel.
“This technology is not in any way to replace people. We have to have people, but we’re going to leverage technology to better assist our officers, firefighters, to better serve our community,” Patton said.
Lebanon police said if the program is approved, the department plans to be transparent about where drones fly and the types of incidents in which they are used.
Armis Jolliff, who lives in the area, said the program could benefit both workers and residents.
“If that’s what they’re trying to do, I think that would be the best move for everyone. It’s going to make it easier on our workforce, then it’s going to make it easier for the citizens,” Jolliff said.
The proposal must be approved multiple times by the council before it is formally adopted. If approved, the trial program is expected to last one year. During that time, it’s not expected to cost taxpayers any money.
If the program is a success, LPD says they may try to add it into their future budget.
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