Docked drone program helped rescue child from pond, St. Paul police say
St. Paul PD: Docked drone program helps rescue child
Police in St. Paul, Minnesota are crediting their docked drone program with the rescue of a child with autism who had wandered into a pond on Monday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul police are crediting their docked drone program with the rescue of a child with autism who had wandered into a pond on Monday.
Police help rescue child from pond
What we know:
The St. Paul Police Department said they received a 911 call on Monday afternoon about a child in a pond who appeared to be struggling to get out. Police dispatched their drone, which arrived two minutes before the first officers arrived on the scene.
The drone was able to provide officers with the exact location of the child and their condition. Officers were able to safely get the child out of the water.
The child’s family told police they had wandered away from the home without their knowledge.
St. Paul City Council to discuss docked drone program
Local perspective:
The St. Paul City Council is expected to discuss the city's docked drone program at their meeting Wednesday. The department wants to apply for a grant from the justice department to help fund the drone program.
St. Paul police launched its first three docked drones earlier this summer.
The other side:
The Minneapolis City Council rejected a similar pilot program that would have allowed police to use drones to help respond to emergencies.
The goal was to reduce response times, clear low level calls and keep officers safe. But the plan was scuttled in July over concerns about possible surveillance.
Dig deeper:
According to St. Paul's written policy, which governs how drones are used, while privacy is always a concern, the unmanned aircraft are only deployed for calls for service and not for general surveillance.
In fact, they're not allowed to collect data on protests or public demonstrations. There is no facial recognition and there are privacy guidelines limiting how the data is used.
What's next:
The St. Paul City Council meeting starts at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the St. Paul Police Department and the St. Paul City Council meeting agenda notes.