Program aims to improve response times and investigations as officials address privacy concerns
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — The Auburn Police Department will soon have access to a sophisticated network of drones covering a broad swath of the city after the Auburn City Council approved a nearly $1 million contract April 21.
The $992,501 contract with Axon Enterprise, an Arizona-based company that develops weapons and technology products with military, law enforcement and civilian applications, will run for six years.
Documents included in the meeting packet show that APD will receive four total docking stations, with two atop the Public Safety Building on N. Ross Street and the other two on the Water Resource Management building on W. Samford Avenue.
Each docking station holds a single drone for a total of four. That amounts to an annual cost of $180,543 after an initial prorated rate of $89,783 for the first year.
Once online, the drones would be semi-autonomous with the ability to launch from and return to their home docking stations before a remote pilot takes over operations.
According to a presentation provided at Tuesday’s city council meeting, the drones would be able to arrive on-scene before dispatched units, free up manpower and resources for other calls, assist investigators with video evidence and utilize thermal imaging technology during fire emergencies.
While flights would be limited in East Auburn due to a Federal Aviation Administration no-fly zone around Auburn University Regional Airport, a map included in the presentation showed the extent of their range. Prospective flight paths appear to stretch from south of Chewacla State Park and Auburn City Lake up to Highway 280 and around the Camden Ridge neighborhood.
Although the contract passed unanimously, several council members peppered the presenters with questions about privacy concerns and the drones’ capabilities. Specifically, Ward 1 Council Member Connie Fitch-Taylor questioned if the drones could see inside windows, and Ward 3 Council Member Beth Witten asked about the thermal imaging capabilities.
The presenters said that drones could only see inside windows that are not covered by curtains or any other objects that prevent light from coming into a building.
They added that the thermal technology would not be able to see through walls or roofs and would be mostly limited to tracking suspects hidden in treelines or between cars, if the drones are utilized for those purposes.
There will also be transparency measures, including a website that tracks flight paths after a drone is used. However, specific information, such as addresses it visits or call details, will not be included.
This is not the first contract the city of Auburn has entered into with the company. In 2021, the Auburn Police Department entered an agreement with Axon for a range of equipment and services, including in-car and body-worn cameras, tasers, virtual reality training and digital evidence storage.
The Auburn Police Department is not the first municipal law enforcement agency in Alabama to utilize this technology. Currently, the Tuscaloosa Police Department and the Dothan Police Department use Axon drones.
The Tuscaloosa Police Department has four docks while the Dothan Police Department uses three docks, although they plan to add seven additional docks in the future.
In other news, the council addressed several other items of business
- The council approved a special events retail alcohol beverage license for Aramark Educational Services, which is doing business as Plainsman Park at 351 S. Donahue Drive.
- The council authorized submission of the 2025 Annual Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Report to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. That report covers the H.C. Morgan and Northside water pollution control facilities.
- The council approved an infrastructure development agreement with BC Stone Homes for public infrastructure improvements in the Blackwood Grove development. The developer will contribute $138,000 in total.
- The council accepted public utility easements from Allen Turner Automotive Holdings that are located at 2662 W. Pace Blvd.
- The council voted to approve a settlement with six regional pharmaceutical distributors that are defendants as part of an ongoing opioid lawsuit. The nationwide settlement is expected to total more than $97.6 million and involves more than 4,000 local governments.
- The council approved a commercial and entertainment use for a restaurant and an office use and commercial support use for a warehouse and contractor storage at Bent Creek Office development, which is located at 2272 Bent Creek Road.
- The council approved a performance residential use for a multi-unit development at The Boulevard, which is located at 547 Bryant Circle.
- The council approved an industrial use for an automotive manufacturing facility for the INFAC North America project at 2250 Riley St.
- The council approved a $632,194 agreement with the East Alabama Healthcare Authority to renew ambulance services for the Public Safety Department during fiscal year 2026.
- The council approved a $612,370 agreement with Three Notch Group for engineering design services as part of the North Dean Road and Opelika Road intersection improvements project.
