Police drones flew 62 times in their first four days
What happened: Bellingham's drone program started answering 911 calls Oct. 6, from three bases. The City's public flight log shows 62 flights from Oct. 6 through Oct. 9, and 60 of them carry a police case number. Before launch, 21 of 24 logged flights since Aug. 19 were training.
Why it matters: The log is the public's only record of where the drones go, and it lists each flight's time, length, call type and case number (median flight: 10 minutes). Police license plate reader data across Washington works the opposite way: it has been closed to public records requests since a state law took effect in March. A $475,417 state grant covers the drones through 2028; after that, keeping them is a City budget decision.
What's next: the log updates after each flight; we'll recount it each week. No post-2028 cost estimate is on the record. Followed up Oct. 16: our count after eight flying days.