Renton Police Deploy Drone-Tracking Trailer and AI Translation Cameras for World Cup Security
Seattle Today Newsroom
June 13, 2026
As FIFA World Cup fans and international visitors flood the greater Seattle area, the Renton Police Department has rolled out two significant pieces of new technology designed to handle the security demands and communication challenges that come with hosting a global tournament.
The Belgian national team is based at the Seattle Sounders FC Center at Longacres in Renton, making the city a focal point for both high-profile athletes and the crowds that follow them. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration established a temporary flight restriction creating a one-mile no-fly zone for drones around Longacres, Boeing facilities, and The Landing shopping center.
To enforce that restricted airspace, Renton Police launched what they are calling the De-Drone Trailer, a mobile surveillance unit loaded with advanced sensors and round-the-clock cameras that monitors the restricted zone in real time. The trailer does not simply detect unauthorised drones. It identifies them in detail.
“It not only tells us where the drone is at, it tells us where the pilot is at and where the drone took off from, what type of drone it is, what the serial number of the drone is, all kinds of information,” said Chad Karlewicz, Commander of Renton PD’s Special Operations Division.
Karlewicz said the vast majority of violations are inadvertent, with most operators simply unaware a flight restriction is in place. “99.99% of the time it’s innocent, they didn’t know there’s a flight restriction in place,” he said. “But we want to catch that .01% of people that might be doing something nefarious.” The temporary flight restrictions will be enforced through 21 July.
On the ground, Renton officers have also been equipped with AI-powered body cameras capable of providing instant translation across 56 languages, a tool that has been in daily use since officers began training with the software in February. When an officer encounters a language barrier, they hold down a button and either identify the language being spoken or allow the system to detect it automatically before translation begins.
Denis Moynihan, Renton PD’s north sector Patrol Operations Commander, said the technology is particularly important for a city as linguistically diverse as Renton. “We have a very diverse community here in Renton, and it’s incredibly important for us to be able to support everyone in the community, not just people who can speak English,” Moynihan said. “This is a huge pathway to helping people when they have problems or need our assistance.”
Officials said the translation tool eliminates waiting times for live interpreters, reduces confusion during interactions, and helps de-escalate tense situations. The system also automatically transcribes each conversation, enabling faster and more accurate police report writing.
Both technologies were deployed under a contract extension with safety technology vendor Axon Enterprise that the Renton City Council approved in 2025.
