Councilor Chol Majok for the fourth time this year withdrew a proposal by Syracuse Police Department officials to buy software to launch a drone as first responder program.
Majok’s withdrawal of the proposal happened nearly a year to the date that the Common Council unanimously approved the department’s purchase of the autonomous drones. A series of policy snags, objections and procedures have stopped the drone program from being launched.
Drone as first responder programs have proliferated across the country but have been controversial, including in Syracuse. DFR programs allow law enforcement agencies to dispatch self-piloting drones ahead of officers to 911 calls…