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BYU Security
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BYU Security Drone FAQs: Safety & Privacy

To help better protect students, employees, visitors and guests, BYU security has added two drones to its campus safety and security resources. The drones are an additional tool to help security personnel make better-informed decisions when responding to emergencies or other safety concerns.

  • A large university campus presents unique safety and security challenges; thousands of people move through campus every day, and situations can develop quickly. Having the ability to safely obtain an aerial view can help our personnel see what is happening sooner and make informed decisions to keep our community safer.

  • No. The drones are a BYU Security resource and are used when there is an appropriate safety, security, emergency-response, training, or operational need. In collaboration with other agencies, drones have already been used at BYU athletic events with great success and minimal distraction.

  • Examples could include searching for a missing or vulnerable person, assessing an emergency or potential safety concern, assisting with large events, evaluating an area that may be difficult or unsafe for personnel to immediately access, or providing responders with situational awareness during an incident. The common factor is a legitimate safety or security purposes.

  • No. As with other security cameras on campus, people may appear in drone footage when they are within the camera's field of view. The presence of an individual in that footage does not mean that person is the subject of surveillance or an investigation.

  • Yes. The cameras record continuously while the drones are operating, much like other security cameras used on campus.

  • The drones are BYU Security assets and operate under the purview of BYU Security. They are operated by trained and authorized personnel in accordance with applicable Federal Aviation Administration requirements, other applicable laws and regulations, and University procedures.

  • Only approved BYU entities: BYU Security, BYU Photo, BYU Magazine, etc. With help from the FAA, we are able to monitor all drone activity to make certain unauthorized drones are not actively flown over campus. If you see a drone, you can be confident that BYU security is aware of it.

  • No. The drones are a BYU Security resource. Just as BYU Security can provide relevant footage from a campus security camera when there is a legitimate police need, Security can provide relevant drone views or recordings to BYU Police in connection with a legitimate law-enforcement or public-safety incident.

  • Access to drone footage is controlled and limited to authorized personnel and legitimate safety and security purposes.

  • Drone recordings are not intended as general-purpose public video; they are collected for legitimate safety and security purposes. When relevant footage is provided to BYU Police as part of a police incident or investigation, the resulting police records are handled in accordance with applicable law, including Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), where applicable.

  • No. Drones complement—but do not replace—our existing safety and security resources. Fixed security cameras, access control systems, intrusion detection devices, emergency communications, dispatchers, security personnel, and officers all serve different purposes. The drones provide an additional perspective when that resource can help protect campus.