The Metro Nashville Police Department’s "Drone as First Responder" trial program will end this Friday, according to police spokesperson Brooke Reese. Reese tells the Scene this will be followed by a media presentation “sometime next week” to discuss data that the department collected and how the program fared.
MNPD first announced the drone trial program in a press release on May 22, saying it was “expected to cover 30 to 45 flight days” after launching on May 26. Three drones based on the roof of the Madison Precinct were available during those days to respond within a two-mile radius of the precinct to emergency calls for service, including calls regarding active criminal investigations and missing persons.
The distinction between “flight” days and calendar days has caused some confusion. Community Review Board senior research analyst Ansley Potter said during the board’s July meeting that when the body examined the program, they initially analyzed the Skydio dashboard data assuming it was 45 calendar days. But flight days meant that only days the drones were deployed counted toward the total. Some days they hadn’t flown at all, usually because of inclement weather. And so as of July 27, Potter said MNPD was at 21 flight days despite the program having launched 60 calendar days earlier.
Friday, Aug. 7, will mark 30 flight days for the program, according to MNPD's Reese. “It was always going to be 30 to 45 flight days, weather dependent, and we were hoping to end it sometime in August,” Reese says.
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Several Metro councilmembers have sharply criticized the drone program, primarily because it was launched without a council vote or hearing. Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office has said the program falls under a carve-out in Metro Code 13.08.080 for surveillance technology “used on a temporary basis” tied to criminal investigations, warrants or exigent circumstances. O'Connell has called the trial “very limited.”
"This program has a defined timeline," says mayor's office spokesperson Alex Apple, referring the Scene to the Metro Code. "It's flown on a temporary basis and activated only in response to a call for service. The DFRs are activated pursuant to primarily exigent circumstances, i.e. a crime in progress."
New Metro legislation — BL2026-1498 — would significantly narrow the “temporary basis” exemption, thereby eliminating the legal basis MNPD used to run the program without a council vote. If passed, the bill would allow Metro departments to deploy drones without council approval only during active-shooter or hostage situations, declared emergencies or natural disasters. It would also cap any temporary drone deployment at 30 consecutive days, unless the council votes by resolution after a public hearing to extend it. The bill received its first reading at Tuesday's council meeting. It must pass two additional readings before becoming law.
The MNPD program was run in partnership with drone maker Skydio, a controversial company valued at $4.4 billion that has contracts with every branch of the U.S. military. The California-based company is rapidly equipping more law enforcement agencies nationwide with first-responder drones, often through “free” trial programs similar to the one in Nashville. The Minneapolis City Council recently rejected a similar Skydio drone program after vehement public opposition.
Metro Councilmember Emily Benedict, who represents District 7, says the rollout of the drone program has been marked by irregular timelines and murky legal footing, which prompted the new legislation she is co-sponsoring.
“It's not right that taxpayer dollars are being handled this loosely, especially when they're saying, 'There's no cost to this,'” Benedict tells the Scene. “There is a cost. We're giving away information, and MNPD is using staff time toward it.”
MNPD spokesperson Reese confirmed the trial is operating on a loan basis with Skydio and not under a signed contract. She also confirmed that making the program permanent would require Metro Council approval.
