SALT LAKE CITY — More drones could be flying overhead in Salt Lake City — that's if the proposed budget by the police department is approved.
As the Salt Lake City Council considers Mayor Erin Mendenhall's proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, new SLC Police Chief Brian Redd presented his ideas for a budget increase to council members.
Redd explained that about 90% of that increase would go toward salaries and benefits. There's an 8.7% wage increase, and they added 12 new positions. The remaining $1.6 million would go toward some new technology. First up would be what he called a "real-time crime center," adding new cameras and license plate readers and integrating them all into a hub. He says it would help improve preparedness for things like the upcoming 2034 winter Olympics, and it would also help get more eyes into high-crime areas.
“Some of these cameras in parks where we are having some challenges along the Jordan River trail,” said Redd.
They're also working on what he called a "drone as a first responder" program. He said they have been testing the method of sending out drones ahead of an officer to certain calls the past few days. They found that more than half the time, they were able to resolve the calls before the officer arrived.
"To see that the accident was already gone, maybe it was a person on the street causing a problem and was already gone. So it saves our officer response time for more serious calls,” said Redd.
Brandy Farmer is the president and CEO of Centro Civico Mexicano. She also helps write domestic violence curriculum for law enforcement agencies. She shared how she’s kept up with the department’s changes over the last few years.
“I felt like 15 million dollars more for all of the things that Chief Redd needs to do is not unreasonable,” said Farmer.
In the meeting, some council members acknowledged the solutions that drones and cameras can provide, but also the concerns about privacy.
"I really feel like we should approve this request, but I also really think that we need to have that legislative intent policy discussion related to the civil liberties issue, the privacy issue, the retention of the documents, the accountability of these files," said Councilman Alejandro Puy.
Salt Lake City Council will have to make a final decision by June 30.
