Oceanside police launch ‘Drone as First Responder’ pilot program

The Oceanside Police Department Monday announced it has begun its Drone as First Responder pilot program, where a drone operated from a rooftop in the city can be dispatched to incidents to provide video and information to officers before they respond.

The 13-month pilot program, approved by the Oceanside City Council, is intended to improve response time and increase officer safety and awareness during responses to calls. The city’s Real-Time Crime Center will receive the video footage from the drone, which will operate mainly in the city’s downtown area.

Drone as First Responder is being funded by a $264,816 state grant from the 2024 Citizens Options for Public Safety program. That funding will cover the drones, software and staffing.

“The program will be staffed by fully trained and certified drone pilots, each prepared to deploy the aircraft in compliance with FAA regulations and department  protocols,” a statement from the OPD read. “A dedicated visual observer will also assist during each flight to ensure safe operations in the airspace.”

According to the department, the drones can reach the scene of a call in a minute or less, reducing response times. The OPD statement also said there are “strict policies” to determine when drones are launched, how the footage can be used and how it is retained.

A city-run transparency portal where the public can view flight activity and details is available at https://dashboard.dronesense.com/oceansidepdca.

The use of drones in police work has proven a controversial topic in San Diego County, where just days ago, the California Supreme Court rejected a plea by the city of Chula Vista to review another court’s ruling in an ongoing lawsuit over the public disclosure of drone footage captured by its police department.

The court ruled that the city must release drone footage collected in during law enforcement work.

The legal dispute stemmed from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Arturo Castañares, publisher of La Prensa San Diego, who sought copies of one month’s worth of CVPD drone recordings under the California Public Records Act. Castañares has said his lawsuit was intended to see how the police department was using its drones and whether it is doing so lawfully.

The city declined the request, saying some videos were tied to ongoing investigations, while the release of others would violate the privacy rights of people captured in the videos.

The case bounced back and forth between lower and appellate courts in the years since.

Late last month, the Chula Vista City Council voted to ask the California Supreme Court to review Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor’s ruling.

“The city may, from time to time, release drone footage of incidents to illustrate the efficacy of the program to the community, however, the city’s overarching goal is to preserve the privacy of its residents where appropriate and obtain clear guidance regarding when disclosure of drone footage is warranted under California law,” the city’s statement defending its actions read.

In his first ruling in the case in 2023, Taylor agreed with the city’s position that the footage couldn’t be released because it falls under an exemption that allows the footage to remain withheld because it is investigatory material.

Castañares appealed and the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that while much of the drone footage could be exempt, it was incorrect to rule that all the video footage could be considered tied to investigations.

City News Service contributed to this article.