Cleveland’s New Police Drones: Delays End as City Embraces Skydio X10 Technology

Cleveland police have officially launched their Skydio X10 drones after years of delay, following the approval of a long-awaited operational policy by the city’s Community Police Commission, reports cleveland.com. The August 10 deployment marked the department’s first authorized flights in nearly a year, with drones monitoring crowds attending an outdoor event featuring musician Machine Gun Kelly.

Skydio X10 Drones Equipped for First Responder Needs

Cleveland police now operate nine Skydio X10 drones, supported by seven Part 107 Certified officers, with plans to increase the number of trained pilots to 10, according to Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz.

The Skydio X10 is specifically designed for police and first responders. The aircraft weighs under 5 pounds, deploys in under 40 seconds, and is capable of night and all-weather operations, including rain and temperatures as low as -4°F.

Skydio claims the drone can read license plates from 800 feet and identify vehicles from three miles away, while onboard payloads include thermal imaging and standard cameras.

Policy Balances Drone Use With Civil Liberties

The Cleveland police drone policy grants broad discretion to incident commanders, permitting drone use in critical cases such as mass-casualty incidents, disaster response, missing persons searches, hazardous materials, armed or suicidal suspects, and high-risk arrests. Drones can also be deployed to document crime and crash scenes.

Importantly, officers must upload flight data to a public dashboard within 48 hours, adding oversight and transparency.

The policy prohibits drone use for monitoring protests, except in cases where probable cause exists that a crime is being committed. It also bans weapons and facial recognition technology on the department’s equipment.

Piet van Lier, chair of the commission’s Police Policy Committee, emphasized the need for balance: “We’re finding the right balance that allows legitimate use of this powerful technology, at the same time protecting the civil liberties and rights of people in Cleveland.”

Community, Legal, and Political Reactions

The new drone rules arrive after controversy in 2024, when Cleveland police were accused of violating earlier restrictions by flying drones over a protest outside a local official’s home. That led Chief Dorothy Todd to ground the program until the policy was finalized amid continuing federal oversight under the city’s DOJ consent decree.

Some city leaders, including Safety Committee Chair Mike Polensek, have pushed for expanded drone use, pointing out that surrounding suburbs have already adopted the technology.

“Virtually every suburb has them, and they’ve used them very effectively,” he told cleveland.com.

Meanwhile, the ACLU of Ohio called the adoption of the policy a “good first step,” while the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association has taken a wait-and-see approach as officers begin real-world deployments.

DroneXL’s Take

Cleveland’s entry into drone-supported policing highlights the ongoing national debate: how can law enforcement capitalize on drones’ unmatched ability to monitor large events, respond to emergencies, and gather evidence—without infringing on civil liberties?

The city’s policy offers transparency tools and guardrails, such as publicly accessible flight logs, but concerns remain about ambiguous exceptions and how rule enforcement will play out in practice. With Cleveland Fire and EMS also exploring drone integration for 911 response, this policy may set a precedent for how other first responder agencies adopt unmanned systems.

DroneXL has followed similar developments, including ongoing Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs in cities like Chula Vista and Brookhaven, which continue to transform emergency response. The rollout in Cleveland adds another important case study in balancing innovation with community trust.

What do you think? Should police drones have more operational freedom, or do strong policy restrictions remain essential for accountability? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Featured photo courtesy of Skydio.