Public Safety
California Residents Push Back Against Expanding Police Drone Programs
Public opposition to municipal police drone programs is intensifying across California, with residents at hearings in San Francisco, Santa Ana, and Stockton challenging expanded surveillance authority. The San Francisco Police Commission voted to advance a draft drone policy without adding a warrant requirement after a packed meeting drew vocal critics of the department's proposed use of Skydio drones for patrols, investigations, and community outreach. In Sonoma County, officials settled with the ACLU last month over a 2019 code-enforcement drone program that conducted hundreds of warrantless searches of private properties without a published policy. Nearly 60 California law enforcement agencies now operate drone programs, while a February 2026 UC Berkeley study found no evidence that first-responder drones reduce officer-involved shootings or improve case resolution rates.