GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids City Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday night to give people in the community a chance to share their opinions on the potential use of drones by the Grand Rapids Police Department. 

Police Chief Eric Winstrom laid out the plan to the commission’s public safety committee in late March. He hopes to purchase six drones and train up to 10 officers to pilot them. 

According to the chief, the drones would be used for various investigations, such as finding a suspect in the bushes or a child lost in the woods. They would not, he said, be used for surveillance. 

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday. More information about GRPD’s drone plan can be found on pages 174-200 of the agenda packet. You can attend the meeting in person or watch via the city’s livestream.