Bridgeport's city council shot down any chance a pair of autonomous drones will respond to 911 calls in the city anytime soon. Council members voted against moving forward on a contract to acquire two autonomous drones that would assist with response to 911 calls.
Despite the council’s rejection, drone manufacturer Flock Safety, may still launch a second attempt at advancing the plan.
City Council president Jeanette Herron said any future discussions would need public input from the start.
“Any company that's going to come in, do presentations to the community and to this council, so you see what is going on and get the facts,” Herron said.
Flock Safety did not respond to Connecticut Public’s requests for comment.
The vote comes more than a week after Bridgeport’s Joint Committee on Contracts and Public Safety and Transportation voted not to recommend a contract with Flock Safety. The committee cited various privacy concerns highlighted by city residents who opposed the drone program.
Many residents say they fear data collected by the city could be used to help with federal immigration enforcement and deportation efforts.
Sonia Hernandez, an organizer for immigrant advocacy group Make the Road, previously told Connecticut Public she knows of city residents who were apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Hernandez spoke at the council meeting’s public comment section and said migrants are invested in their neighborhoods, but the drones, which can collect more data since they don't need a human operator, could end up in the hands of ICE.
“Many of us are parents, workers and seniors who want to feel secure in our neighborhood, but safety should not come at the cost of our rights, our privacy or our dignity in today's political climate,” Hernandez said.
Todd Sample, who also lives in Bridgeport and spoke before the city council, believes having more surveillance tools runs the risk of fracturing trust within a community.
“Resilience is built on trust, social capital and legitimate institutions,” Sample said. “Destructive surveillance practices directly attack these foundations.”
Flock Safety previously told Connecticut Public it does not share any information and all data collected by the drones belongs to local police departments.
But previous reporting from other publications including WHRO reported Flock’s nationwide database was accessed by ICE for apprehensions in 2025. Flock admitted it had limited pilot programs with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations to combat fentanyl distribution and human trafficking.
