After residents raised concerns, Kent Police decided to go public with its written policy to operate two drones it plans to purchase later this year.
“The policy is on the Kent Police website as well as the city of Kent website (kentwa.gov),” Police Chief Ken Thomas told the City Council at its March 21 meeting during his public safety report. “We want to make this as available as possible to anybody who is interested.”
A couple of residents questioned city leaders and staff about how the drones would be used during the public comment period of a council meeting on March 7. They wanted to be sure the privacy of individuals remained protected.
“Unmanned aerial systems (drones) have generated a lot of attention,” Thomas said. “So at our last Public Safety (Committee) meeting I went over the policy, and I want to go over it again tonight … to be as transparent as possible. The city still doesn’t own the devices, so we are still in the process of notifying the public and having public conversation.”
The drones – one will shoot video, the other photos – will be used at outdoor crime scenes and at vehicle collisions to speed up and improve the gathering of evidence, police said.
“We are going in this direction of advanced technology to enhance our ability to save lives, protect property and document crime scenes and collision scenes most effectively,” Thomas said.
It will cost the city about $50,400 to purchase and operate the drones, including the cost of laptops, computer software and pilot training for six investigators. The council approved using money from the city’s school zone traffic camera fund, which catches speeding drivers near three elementary schools, to pay for the drones.
The drones also could be used during tactical operations or SWAT investigations to help officers. Thomas said once the drones are purchased, police will demonstrate the capabilities of the devices to the public.
The prohibited uses include random surveillance, targeting based on individual characteristics, harassment or intimidation against an individual or group and a ban for any type of personal use.
Thomas said other local police agencies plan to purchase drones.
“Renton Police Department has already purchased drones, and they have a program in effect,” Thomas said. “(To) my understanding, it’s the intention of every member in South King County – Kent, Renton, Auburn, Tukwila and Federal Way to each purchase drones to be part of the Valley SWAT operation.”
Thomas said the drones will speed up processing crime scenes or vehicle collision scenes.
“If there is a fatality accident, we will close down the roads for several hours to process the scene, often four or five hours or more to collect the evidence,” Thomas said about the current process. “We can send up a drone and in approximately 15 to 30 minutes it can capture the entire scene and document it in much better accuracy than doing it by hand.”
If people have more questions about the drones, Thomas invited them to call the police main office at 253-856-5800 and ask for him, Assistant Chief Rafael Padilla or Cmdr. John Thompson. Padilla presented a session about drones last fall at a police community meeting while Thompson will oversee and sign off on the use of drones by officers trained to pilot them.
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