Credit: Michelle Gabel | Central Current

Syracuse’s surveillance technology oversight group will review new drone technology the Syracuse Police Department planned to purchase. 

The city reversed its decision on the review after initially saying the group did not need to review the drones.

City officials made the change after Central Current reported the city planned to bypass its own surveillance technology review process to purchase the drones. As Central Current pressed the city about why it planned to skip the process, members of the Surveillance Technology Working Group pointed out to city officials that the technology represented a significant shift in its reliance on drones. 

Johannes Himmelreich, an associate professor at Syracuse University and working group member who critiqued the city’s initial decision, welcomed the city’s change. 

“Citizens get a say, the working group researches how other cities use this technology, and that helps city leaders make better policy decisions as a result,” Himmelreich said in an email. “This way we’re not walking into some unknown risk. The review should allow us as a community to see all the risks and benefits of this more clearly.”

The reversal came after some city lawmakers admitted they did not realize they had approved such wide use of autonomous drones while the city’s own employees joined tech experts in questioning the department’s effort to push the drones.

Syracuse police planned to purchase the drones to respond to 911 calls, meaning the drones would fly significant distances to relay information back to arriving officers. In other cities where police departments have implemented similar programs, some residents worry the drones may expose them to unwarranted surveillance.

On Thursday, mayor’s office spokesperson Brooke Schneider said in an email to Central Current that the city had decided to submit the new police drone program to “full review” by the Surveillance Technology Working Group. A discussion between members of the working group led to the change, Schneider said. 

Her statement was also given on behalf of the Syracuse Police Department.

“The Drone First Response Program will  be reviewed by  the Surveillance Technology Working Group prior to SPD entering into a contract with the provider,” Schneider wrote in an email.

Questions posed by Central Current appeared to prompt a conversation about the “drone as first responder” program at a November meeting of the Surveillance Technology Working Group. 

Two city employees — Director of Strategic Initiatives Jennifer Tifft and Chief Innovation and Data Officer Nico Diaz — agreed the technology should be reviewed. Tifft argued the drones have a different purpose than the drones the police department currently owns. 

Why Syracuse police, city officials plan to bypass surveillance tech review process to get ‘sci-fi-inspired’ drones

She agreed with Daniel Schwarz, another working group member, who argued that other cities that implemented first responder drone programs have seen a dramatic increase in drone use, with flights multiplied “tenfold.”

At least five members of the group said the city should allow the Surveillance Technology Working Group to review the drones, according to the group’s meeting minutes. The minutes only capture one objection — Deputy Police Chief Richard Shoff. 

While Shoff has said the drones are different from the department’s existing fleet, which would allow the working group to review them, he said during the meeting that the police department feels the new drones would be an expansion of its existing drone program. 

The department worries that participating in the review process would cause delays for the new drone program, Shoff said. 

Mark King, a data consultant and working group member, argued that the department’s undisclosed use of drones — revealed through Central Current’s reporting — demonstrated the kind of behavior the group is designed to prevent, according to the meeting minutes. 

Now that the city has committed to allowing the surveillance technology working group’s review and a public comment period, residents can expect to learn more about first responder drone programs, and will have a chance to share their thoughts and concerns on drones with the city.

“All communities need to innovate responsibly. The review will give everyone a say,” Himmelreich said. “I would not want such drones to fly under the radar of public input.”

City lawmakers have also in recent days pushed back on the city’s decision to not review the drones. 

Though the council voted unanimously to approve funding for the new drone program, only some councilors could say what exactly the funding was for. A description of the drone program was included in the Common Council agenda packet provided to all the councilors. 

Chol Majok, the Common Council’s chair of the public safety committee, could not be reached to discuss pushback against the drones. But three other councilors said the city should review them.

Councilors Patrona Jones-Rowser, Marty Nave, and Corey Williams said that the working group needed to review the drone program before the department implemented it. 

Other city lawmakers, however, punted on whether the city should commit to further review. 

Councilors Rasheada Caldwell and Jimmy Monto, who are both on the council’s public safety committee, declined to comment on the drones. 

“It’s not in my wheelhouse right now to talk about it,” Monto said.

Councilor Rita Paniagua said the council doesn’t have oversight over the police department, declining to say whether the drones should be reviewed. 

“If the department feels that they’re ready to implement (the drones), and there’s no need for this group to come in and tell them what to do, then the department knows what they’re doing,” Paniagua said.

Council President Pro Tempore Pat Hogan, who is running for mayor in 2025, said he was unaware of what he had approved when he voted for the $250,000 in drone funding. Hogan did not know the Surveillance Technology Working Group existed. The group was created by a 2020 executive order from Mayor Ben Walsh while Hogan sat on the council. 

Ultimately, the drones will be reviewed by the working group. Williams said a review from the group could provide important insight and help the city to balance the use of technology for the public good while still respecting the civil liberties of the public.

“The ethics around technology and science are a really interesting topic, because there’s all the potential in the world to do good,” Williams said. “But if we don’t have the guardrails in place, there’s also the potential for harm.”

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Patrick McCarthy is a staff reporter at Central Current covering government and politics. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell and Newhouse Schools, McCarthy was born and raised in Syracuse and...