TO: Committee of the Whole - Public Safety and Human Services
FROM: Mayor Angela Birney
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT(S):
Police Chief Darrell Lowe 425-556-2529
DEPARTMENT STAFF:
Police Chief Darrell Lowe Chief of Police
TITLE:
title
Low-Altitude Radar System & Office of Airspace Management
OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
recommendation
Low-Altitude Radar System is a permanent, ground-based radar network that provides continuous detection of aircraft operating below 400 feet over Redmond, Kirkland, and Bellevue, an altitude band federal radar does not cover, and where all drone activity occurs. The system protects Redmond's Drone as a First Responder program, in airspace it shares with commercial delivery drones, recreational operators, and aircraft carrying no transponder, none of which any single system currently sees together. It will be funded through federal appropriations. and carries no facial recognition capability or ground-surveillance function.
The Office of Airspace Management (OAM) will be the proposed permanent City function that would operate and maintain the radar network, coordinate with the FAA, administer the data governance policy, and sustain regional interoperability with King County, Seattle, and venue systems. Radar hardware is a one-time capital purchase; managing low-altitude airspace is an ongoing municipal responsibility. This function is currently being handled by RPD. Staff recommends that the Council examine the scope, staffing, and operating cost of this function at a future study session; nothing in the current request commits the City to establishing it.
body
? Additional Background Information/Description of Proposal Attached
REQUESTED ACTION:
? Receive Information ? Provide Direction ? Approve
REQUEST RATIONALE:
Relevant Plans/Policies:
N/A
Required:
N/A
Council Request:
N/A
Other Key Facts:
The platform is Dedrone by Axon, the same system that King County and the City of Seattle selected for FIFA World Cup 2026 ai...
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