PORTLAND –– The Portland City Council will once again consider whether to allow the Portland Police Department to buy a $45,000 drone at its meeting tonight.

The council already voted on Nov. 17 to reject the proposal, but voted against tabling the issue indefinitely, meaning it could come up for consideration once again.

If approved, the department would use its seizure fund to purchase the drone, not the city’s general funding.

Police said the drone, described in documents as an “unmanned aerial vehicle,” would be instrumental in accident reconstruction and search-and-rescue operations. The drone could also be used in situations when police are dealing with barricaded suspects. 

Right now, the department already employs drones in its normal work, but has to borrow them from other municipalities, which means the department cannot claim ownership of footage or data the drones collect.

Critics, however, have voiced concerns about whether the police could use such technology to assist in racial profiling or to spy on innocent citizens. Others worried that outside agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, would try to make use of the drone.

Other critics said they trusted the police, but not the manufacturer of the drone, and worried that the company could take or use footage and data the drone can collect.