The University of Kentucky Police Department used drones during a UK Turning Point USA “Pick Up the Mic” event after saying the drones would only be used for active pursuit or responding to incidents.
The UKPD drone was flying above the Hilltop Avenue Garage, looking over the “bowl” of the William T. Young Library, where a Turning Point USA event was taking place Wednesday, April 15.
The Turning Point event was a debate-style event where students could argue issues against YouTuber and comedian Alex Stein.
UKPD Officer Nicholas Elkins said the drone was a UKPD drone and will be there for the duration of the event.
Dani Jaffe, the associate director in strategic and crisis communications at UK’s Office of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, said for high-profile events, UKPD uses different types of drones to support security and situational awareness. She said drones are never used for surveillance.
“The UK Police Department continually monitors safety risks and trends at universities nationwide, including high-profile events,” Jaffe said. “In doing so, we actively work to strengthen our own event safety protocols and response strategies here at UK.”
During a UK Staff Senate meeting on March 12, Police Chief Joe Monroe said the drone program will help UKPD have eyes on the scene and respond to calls more quickly.
“Drones are only used for responding to incidents,” Monroe said. “It’s to give officers eyes in the air.”
Jaffe said the drones are to help officers in an active pursuit or to respond to an incident. Jaffe said they are not for surveillance or patrolling.
Jonathan Joyce, a first-year civil engineering student, said he feels perfectly fine, especially after the recent event in Utah involving Charlie Kirk.
“I feel safer walking back there. There was a lot of police protection,” Joyce said. “It makes me feel safe there when big events are happening on campus.”
Other students said they felt more unsure about the use of drones during university events. Jazzlyn Martin, a freshman in animal science, said she understands why UKPD would want to see more coverage of the event, but doesn’t get why she is being recorded.
Jaffe said drones are indeed recording and will retain the footage for 30 days per UKPD video retention policy.
“For students who don’t want to be on video, there is kind of no way to dodge the event without completely changing their route to go to class,” Martin said. “So it feels kind of unnecessary.”
Emmy Wells, a sophomore in psychology, said she thinks it’s a good idea to have police officers there, but drones aren’t necessary.
“It feels like I’m being watched,” Wells said, “I feel like to a certain extent that could be too much.”
