The Phoenix City Council voted on Wednesday for a second time to put off a vote for a drone ordinance until April.
District 6 Councilman Sal Diciccio said there is an enormous amount of work that goes into creating an ordinance. He wanted the opportunity to work at the state level before voting any ordinance regarding drones into law.
With the recent rise in popularity of drones, state and local governments across the country are figuring out ways to regulate the users.
Sgt. Trent Crump, public information officer for the Phoenix Police Department, said the ordinance would be handled like any other, if it was passed. The punishment for breaking the proposed drone ordinance in Phoenix would be a Class 1 misdemeanor.
According to the Phoenix City Council agenda, the purpose of the ordinance is to promote commerce and innovation while protecting privacy, civil rights and civil liberties in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones. The ordinance would control how drones are used, how they can be used in emergencies, and punishments for violations.
The ordinance allows police to use UAVs while in pursuit of a suspect, and to execute valid search warrants. Law enforcement may also use them to search for missing persons and abductees.
The Parks and Recreation Board recommended to City Council to limit recreational use of drones to eight designated park sites, which are the current permitted sites for radio or remote-control aircraft, according to Gregg Bach, public information officer for the Parks and Recreation Department.
Bach also said Parks Department staff will work to find additional locations where future recreational drone usage could potentially be permitted, and that staff will assist with special events and activities at permitted sites. Earlier this month the Parks and Recreation Board held a public meeting to collect feedback from recreational drone users.
“This is a very similar approach to what the department has done with regard to dog parks, skate parks and pickleball courts,” Bach said. “Parks staff will continue to work with these groups to educate them about the locations where drone usage is permitted.”
Contact the reporter at Rebecca.Blascak@asu.edu.
