St. Louis Police Launch Drone Transparency Portal Opening 911 Response Records to the Public
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department launched its Aerial Response Unit Transparency Portal on November 7, 2026, opening the records of its drone responses to 911 calls to the public. The portal is part of the rollout of the department's new Aerial Response Unit.
On November 4, the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the special order governing the unit; Mayor Cara Spencer cast the only no vote, citing insufficient time for public input. That same day, police dispatched a drone to the program's first 911 call, involving a suspicious man knocking on doors and moving through alleys on the North Side, with the drone sent ahead to view the scene.
The program uses six BRINC drones, initially operating in the North and Central patrol areas while the South Side station is still being installed, with expanded coverage expected later this month. The roughly $583,000 first-year cost is covered by the St. Louis Police Foundation, at no cost to taxpayers in year one. The department stresses the drones are unarmed and only supplement traditional police response. The portal is at SLMPD.org/ARUtransparency.
(Source: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department)
Source: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：圣路易斯警方与消防车辆在现场处置（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: St. Louis police and fire vehicles at a scene (file photo). Wikimedia Commons.
