Police drones in Amarillo are causing alarm

By Jack Johnston, joh50807@ttu.edu

Two Amarillo residents voiced concerns over the city's recent purchase of police drones at a City Council meeting in late January.

The residents, Cassie Green and Robert Smith, worried about a lack of transparency when using the drones and the potential risks to public safety, and they sought clarification about their intended surveillance capabilities.

“What kind of cameras are in the drones?” asked Green during the council meeting. “Are they just license plate scanners, or do they have real-time footage capabilities? Can the drones be upgraded later to include more invasive surveillance technology?

Amarillo Police Department Lieutenant Shane Chadwick said the drones would help in missing person cases, crime scene mapping, and emergency response.

He said the department has already deployed drones 3,923 times since 2022, including for disaster relief efforts like the Perryton tornado, adding that “the city currently owns nine drones and is slowly expanding the program.”

Smith, the other Amarillo resident who questioned the need for police drones, called for a separate meeting or study session where residents could ask more detailed questions about the drones and get direct responses from city officials.

“While the drones are intended for use by police and fire departments, their applications could expand to other areas,” Smith said, “and the public deserves to know how they will be used.”

Although rare, injuries can occur when drones are operated. A recent accident occurred at the North Texas drone show in December, where a child was injured and others were put at risk when a drone malfunctioned.

Data from 2015 through 2020 shows that crashes were not uncommon across the United States and that there were approximately 4,250 drone injuries.They were due to poor weather conditions, inability to see a drone while flying, pilot error, skipping pre-flight check procedures, and disconnected transmission.