Houston City Council voted Wednesday to authorize the city's pursuit of federal funding for aerial oversight and situational awareness at large-scale public events. The money would come from the Fiscal Year 2027 Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program.
The State of Texas handles the grant application, but the city must first indicate it wants to take part, according to the report. Larry Satterwhite, director of the Mayor's Office of Public Safety & Homeland Security, told KPRC 2 the funding is meant to help the city see more, cover more ground and keep people safe at its biggest events. City officials are also working on guardrails for how the technology would be used, if council agrees to apply.
Satterwhite said Houston's size and the scale of its events make situational awareness a top priority. "Situational awareness is always important. Houston is a big city, and we do big things here," he said. The Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security said law enforcement teams cannot monitor every angle from the ground at large events, and the technology is designed to address that limit.