City of Bloomington Council approves drone police department drone installation
Written by Bella Marello on October 1, 2026
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The City of Bloomington Council unanimously approved the $110,000 installation of police drones.
“There’re several agencies around the state that are taking this technology and using it as a force multiplier for their missions and their communities, and we see fit that we need to do this here as well,” Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said.
Ward 7 Council Member Mollie Ward pulled this item from the consent agenda during the council’s meeting Monday night.
“This is a topic that has caught public attention,” Ward said. “We have a duty as a city council to perhaps take a pause when we’re looking at any item that deals with surveillance cameras and drones.”
Simington and Drone Program Co-coordinator Kevin Raisbeck presented drone details and statistics to the council.
Simington said the drones will enhance officer and community safety.
“We will use technology appropriately and responsibly according to law and ethically,” Simington said.
The drone flight path data can be viewed by the public on the Bloomington Police Department’s website.
Ward questioned if these drones will be used to look through the windows of resident houses.
“When we’re flying a drone from say the police department to a location, the focal point of the camera is straight at the horizon,” Raisbeck said. “Typically we’re not looking down and recording footage as we’re going.”
Raisbeck said that all police use of drones looking through windows would be “probably in conjunction with a search warrant.”
According to Raisbeck, footage of a crime unintentionally picked up by the drone while pursing another crime could be used as evidence.
The drones will fly 40-45 mph and are capable of safely flying five miles without a recharge.
621 drone flights have been conducted this year so far.
Drones are often used for parades. The video is only kept for 24 hours and deleted if no criminal activity takes place.
Raisbeck cited a recent incident where Bloomington police were struggling to find a criminal on the run. Raisbeck was able to fly a drone to the scene and spot the individual hiding on top of a trailer.
“The officers on scene said that if we didn’t have the drone, they likely wouldn’t have found him,” Raisbeck said.
The drones and drone docks have already been purchased. This $110,000 agreement is for the installation fee of a single drone.
The Bloomington City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
