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Four drones are included in this trial year, two Responder drones which can be used to give advance information about a scene LPD is en route to, and two Lemur 2 drones that are smaller and can be used in dangerous situations to go into structures, giving officers information on what may be inside.

LPD already has some drone operators, but according to LPD Public Information Officer Zach Patton, they would need to be called-in anytime the existing drones are needed, so LPD is looking to expand the capability to utilize the technology.

“A drone program [was] something we’ve been looking into quite a bit,� Patton said. “When we started hearing about the responder drone technology, we met with a couple different providers, and this specific drone provider integrates the best into the current system we have.�

“Brinc is the actual drone provider, but they have a partnership with Motorola, which provides our software for our computer and dispatch system,� Patton added.

Motorola’s drones can be automatically launched from a roof within the city and fly to a programmed location autonomously and then controlled from the Communications Center. However, an LPD official must hit a “start button� to activate the drone. Patton said one Responder drone will likely be placed on a building on the east side of Lebanon with the other placed on the west side.

“They will launch from the roof and take the quickest, most efficient route to wherever that scene may be at,� Patton said. “Once it gets on-scene, it can be controlled by a dispatcher in the Communications Center. We’re going to likely equip our supervisors with pilot remotes. So, if for some reason the supervisor on-scene wants to take over the controls of the drone, they’ll be able to do that.�

Information provided by Motorola details some of the functions of the drones. The Responder drones have a microphone and speaker system to allow communication and emergency announcements in an area, a thermal camera and an “Emergency Payload Dropper� which can deploy AEDs, Narcan, EpiPens or other lifesaving tools and relay information on how to use them to anyone who may be on the scene.

The Lemur 2 drones likewise have the integrated communications system and thermal sensors. In addition, it can utilize a glass breaker tool to make an entryway through windows and LiDAR sensors to produce data of interior layouts as the drone flies through a building, giving first responders a map to plan around.

“We can use [Lemur 2 drones] for a lot of smaller operations, like search warrants. We can have that drone enter the house,� Patton said. “It can enter a house on a search warrant and give us a look inside that house. If the drone does find someone hiding inside, we can start communication with someone inside the house.�

Patton said officers will knock on the door of a building a search warrant is being executed on and attempt to make contact in-person before the Lemur 2 will be utilized in the instance of a subject not responding to officers or entryways being barricaded preventing officers from using forced entry themselves. Sending the drone through a window can potentially damage it, so it will only be used if needed, according to Patton.

It’s not just the Police Department that will use these drones. Patton said the Lebanon Fire Department will also have access to them to gain information ahead of their arrival and use the drone’s sensors to find anyone who may need to be rescued.

The trial year is free, not costing taxpayers anything. If the program is not canceled during that one-year trial, the contract will renew for an additional five years, requiring annual payments of $159,998. Patton said the costs would be introduced into the LPD budget. Over the course of the six years, the total cost would be just below $800,000.

Patton said a website page will be made available for the public to access in order to see where the Responder drones have been deployed to, including the flight paths, citing privacy concerns.

“We [want to] be transparent with the public where this drone has been to and why,� he added. “This technology is not to replace any officers, it’s for us to leverage to our benefit, to our community’s benefit.�

If the program passes on second reading, LPD expects to have the drones operational by the summer.