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LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Soon the Phantom will be hovering along the lakeside cliffs in Lakewood.

But don’t be alarmed.  The Phantom is a video surveillance drone the city just bought.

It will be used to monitor the cliffs’ erosion beginning this spring.

The Phantom is battery-powered and uses GPS technology to find problem areas.

It weighs only a few pounds and carries a mounted camera.  When the battery is low, it flies back to its home base on its own.

The device cost about $1,200 but it should save the city money.

Joe Beno, the public works director, said using the drone means the city will no longer need to rent a boat or pay someone to rapel down the cliffs.

Mayor Michael Summers said jobs are not expected to be impacted.

The Phantom is manufactured by DJI.