The Gurnee Village Board on Nov. 17 approved entering a 90-day trial agreement with Flock Group Incorporated to test a drone-as-first-responder program.

Staff said the village currently operates Paladin drones and Flock camera systems. The proposed 90-day test would place two Flock drones (one at Fire Station 1 adjacent to the existing Paladin drone, and a second west of town near Cemetery Road Reservoir) so staff can compare performance directly. The agreement allows cancellation within the 90-day window; if the village does not cancel, the arrangement would convert to a three-year contract at $125,000 per year.

Staff noted the Paladin drone can be converted to the Flock platform at no additional cost. Commander/department staff described Flock’s drone as faster (up to about 60 mph vs. the current 35 mph), with about 20 more minutes of flight time, autonomous follow features, license-plate recognition integration, and direct interoperability with the village’s Flock cameras and CAD system.

Trustees asked whether the $125,000 is incremental to existing camera commitments; staff said the village currently pays approximately $60,000 annually for Paladin and about $90,000 for existing Flock LPR camera systems, so the full Flock drone program would represent additional cost if converted after the trial. Trustees approved the 90-day trial by roll call vote; staff will report back before the trial period ends.

Next steps: staff expects testing to begin in February and run through May, with a report to the Village Board ahead of budget adoption.