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      Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program

      City staff using drones to support service services and enhance public safety

      The City of​ P​hoenix is committed to embracing technologies that improve service delivery to the public while protecting the safety and privacy of its residents. T​he integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called "drones", technology by the City in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is intended to enhance existing departmental capabilities and service to the community.


      The City of Phoenix is dedicated to the security, safety, and the preservation of life of residents and employees. The UAS program is intended to provide an enhanced level of operational capability, safety, and situational awareness and reduce the risk of injury. The UAS program will be utilized in a responsible, legal, and transparent manner to maintain the public trust. The UAS program will be operated to ensure and protect the rights and privileges of the public, including protecting the fundamental rights to free speech and expression; the freedom to assemble and protest, and protect against unreasonable search and seizure. Phoenix is one of more than 1,500 public safety agencies across the country and at least three dozen in Arizona using drone technology.

      Unmanned Aircraft System (Drone) Usage Datasets

      The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program is intended to provide an enhanced level of operational capability, safety, and situational awareness and reduce the risk of injury. The UAS program will be utilized in a responsible, legal, and transparent manner with monthly usage data available on the Open Data Portal.

      Resources

      These policies and administrative regulations are intended to improve the efficiency of departmental operations, ensure the security of employees, residents, real and personal property, and respect and protect the privacy expectations of the public. The UAS administrative regulation shall provide a framework and direction for all City departments approved by City management to implement UAS technology to meet their respective department mission objectives. Each City department is responsible for the development and integration of their own UAS program to meet the needs of the department and the City while ensuring that the department is following the policy set forth in this UAS Policy.

      The UAS Executive Committee develops, establishes, and approves policies for the UAS program for which all participating members must comply. The UAS Executive Committee approves participation in the UAS program and approves all departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) upon recommendation from the TS&P Subcommittee. The UAS Executive Committee shall be made up of six permanent staff members, three rotating staff members and two community members, one with privacy/civil liberties expertise preferred and one at large. The permanent members will be the Assistant City Manager, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Aviation Director, Chief Assistant City Attorney and Chief Information Officer. The rotating member to the UAS Executive Committee shall be selected from current members of the UAS program.

      The Technical Security and Privacy (TS&P) subcommittee for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program serves as an advisory body to the UAS Executive Committee. TS&P is entrusted with the responsibility to intake requests related to drone program and perform a technical, security and privacy analysis to make a recommendation to the UAS Executive Committee.

      The TS&P Subcommittee is responsible for, but not limited to the following:

      • Review and recommend membership applications
      • Review and provide guidance on developing departmental SOPs and make recommendations to the UAS Executive Committee for its approval
      • Review and recommend disposition on waiver requests
      • Review and recommend storage and data handling of departmental UAS program.
      • Establish minimum requirements to protecting Personally Idenfiable Information.
      • Establish minimum requirements to protect the civil liberties of the general public, including the freedom of speech and assembly; protect against unreasonable search of seizure; and protect public's expectations of privacy.