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Unmanned aerial vehicles—more commonly known as drones, are soon  becoming part of the arsenal of investigative equipment used by Lakes Area Police.  

Minnesota state laws require unmanned aerial vehicles not be activated until the department has adopted a policy, and last week the four-member Police Commission reviewed the program and supported continuing to pursue drones.  Developing the policy is just a ‘first step’ the commission members heard, and actual purchase and deployment of any drones could be another year yet.

(Chisago City Council member Marie Rivers is now serving on the police commission upon the death of Mayor Bob Gustafson.  Jeremy Dresel is the second Chisago City commission member.  Lindstrom is represented by Mayor Judy Chartrand and Brian Norelius.) 

Chisago County Sheriff’s Office has provided aerial surveillance services in recent years, and Lakes Area Chief of Police Bill Schlumbohm says the program has been well-received by the public. 

“Lakes Area has had members on the SWAT and Crisis Negotiations Team for several years and sees the drone program as a natural extension of those efforts,” Schlumbohm noted.

Drones are operated remotely and shown to be beneficial for public safety in finding fleeing suspects, for example,  and for officer safety in ability to observe a situation without physically being present.  

Contacted after the commission meeting, Sheriff Brandon Thyen commented the sheriff’s office started the drone program in 2019.  Sheriff Thyen said drones have proven to be versatile and quickly deployed, and “allow us to get needed information in serious situations where we would not want to have a deputy or officer go into.”

Use of unmanned aerial vehicles is regulated in statute (626.19) and includes the requirement a warrant be issued for the incident it is used in,  unless one of nine specific conditions are met. Drones’ videotape (data) is considered private.  

Annual reports are required from each law enforcement agency on UAV deployments, its case-related authorized use, and costs for the UAV program.  The state Commissioner on Public Safety receives the reports. 

The latest data for Chisago County drone usage is the sheriff spent $8,653 and recorded 100 uses for 2023 (with no warrants) for activity like training, demonstration flights and 12 uses were for emergency situations with potential of harm or death.  The state had 99 agencies submit data for unmanned aerial vehicle uses and they were split 51 sheriff departments and 45 police operations. State Patrol, BCA and Cannon River Task Force each had data as well.

In other business the police commission set a special workshop discussion July 31 at 6:30 p.m. at Chisago City Hall, on how to move forward addressing facility issues.  Lakes Area planned to construct a public safety center near the Chisago City Fire Hall , and asked the state legislature to be included in state bonding  financial aid but no bonding bill was adopted in the last session.

Chief Schlumbohm asked that the city councils begin serious consideration of immediate projects that can help address a host of shortcomings in existing spaces.  

The chief wanted the four commissioners to list some priority measures as a “framework’ to get the workshop session agenda on solid footing.  The goal is to identify what can be acted on sooner than later.  

But Lindstrom City Administrator Dan Undem was concerned, and suggested any capital project priority steps be generated by the full councils and not the other way around.  “It is not fair (to create a workshop agenda) without first having city council...direct the agenda,” he commented.

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