Agenda - Council - 08/23/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Woestehoff asked whether, by potentially adding a CSO and patrol officer, they still had enough vehicles to meet the needs of the City. Police Chief Katers said that was correct. Councilmember Howell asked about the UAV and what they do now if they do not have one. Police Chief Katers said that they use these to look for suspects and missing children or adults. There are other agencies that do have them, so the City can request assistance from them when needed. Usually there is at least one in a patrol vehicle so it is just dependent on where they are in the County. Ramsey typically asks the City of Coon Rapids or Anoka County. He noted it adds about 30 minutes before the device is able to be deployed. Councilmember Specht asked if they ever have a type of reserve for that. He said that he sees individuals out with drones and asked if this is something that can be outsourced. Police Chief Katers said that they do not currently have any type of arrangement for outsourcing. He said there are some forces that offer this type of service and Ramsey has used them in the past for number counts for people at Happy Days, which was done with emergency management who has drones to do this. He said there are options, but it comes down to the time that it takes to get them, which would average about 30 minutes. Councilmember Howell asked how many times a year the UAVs are used. Police Chief Katers said that an estimate would be around five or six times a year. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if the fire department would have any use for these UAVs. Fire Chief Kohner said they would not have a use for these, they would just use the emergency management drone. He was pretty sure that to use them, a licensed operator is required, that is at a cost, and there would be a lot of follow-up with that. He said typically when they are doing a search for a missing person, it starts on the ground and takes a while until they get to the point that would require a drone. Acting Mayor Riley said at this time, he does not see a need for a UAV and Staff instead should look into contracts for this. He asked the Council if they agree. The Council agreed with Acting Mayor Riley's comment. Acting Mayor Riley asked Police Chief Katers to look into contracts and to get back to the Council on what it would look like without the UAVs. Councilmember Specht added that things would just look the same without them. City Council Work Session / August 8, 2022 Page 12 of 19