Under her leadership and in line with our set settlement agreement, the department completed its portion of the historic 234 case OPCR backlog. I want to note the place that our civil rights department was previously in and the place that it is in now. Uh and the juxiposition is stark. Um the backlog was growing. We were not seeing uh the cases drawn down. Uh, and because of a combination of Kayla's great work as well as the work of former director Michelle Phillips, uh, and their whole teams, um, the backlog's gone.

My vision as the department leader, which I've shared with um all of you in various forms, is I want to ensure that our civil rights department is truly the civil rights agency of first [snorts] resort. We want to be the first folks that people think of when they feel like their civil rights have been infringed on or violated here in the city of Minneapolis.

I would be remissed if I didn't say the miracle you all pulled off in getting through those cases. I I just really never thought that was going to happen because year after year after year we were told, you know, it's happening but it's not happening, right? And so like the work that you all did collaboratively to get through those cases and to give me as an elected official the freedom to say to constituents who were watching that um so closely that it's done. It's we have zero case. There is no backlog.

Drones are not a replacement for police officers, for firefighters, for EMS personnel or other first responders. They're simply a tool that helps ensure the right resources are sent to the right call at the right time. In some cases, the information gathered, we believe, may confirm that an immediate police, fire, or EMS response is needed. In other situations, it may show that a different response is more appropriate, such as dispatching the behavioral crisis response team or another nonsworn resources.

Privacy, I get it. It's very very important to all of us. Operations conducted only as authorized by state law. Um that's the only way we're going to be flying these things. uh the camera when it's when a drone is launched, that camera remains pointed at the horizon the entire time until arrival um at the 911 call scene. Uh the camera then will be actively controlled by the uh the remote pilot once they're on scene um at the incident. All flights are recorded and uploaded to evidence.com.

We do not support a contract with Skyo because they profit from the use of drones as weapons of war in Palestine. In fact, the only reason why Skyo is a large enough is a large company and can afford to entice Minneapolis with a 75day free trial is because they've made bank from killing Palestinians. Any contract with Skyo would be using taxpayer dollars to support a country that not only sells its drones to aparttheid Israel, but would be funding their R&D to make more drones and therefore more weapons.

We are guaranteed under the United States and Minnesota Constitutions a right of privacy from the government. Right? We have a fourth amendment and we have section 10 of the Minnesota Constitution. The statute that was proposed that we operate under here was passed in 2025. It is untested in the Minnesota courts and it is untested in the federal courts as to whether that statute is even remotely constitutional. ... Every technology given to state and federal law enforcement has been abused.