Oceanside California Police Department Looks at Using Drones as First Responders

SAN DIEGO — The Oceanside Police Department has been offered grant money for a 13-month trial of new “first responder” drones that can soar from a downtown rooftop within seconds of a 911 call and be on scene before any officers arrive.

Already used in dozens of cities across the United States, the drones offer a bird’s-eye view of a crime or accident scene and can provide important information quickly, often eliminating the need for an in-person response, according to the Police Department.

“It makes first responders and the community safer,” said police Lt. Michael Provence.

The mere presence of the drone, which is roughly 2 or 3 feet wide, can help stop criminal activity, he said.

“It can de-escalate a rapidly developing situation,” Provence said.

Drones help pinpoint the location of a traffic accident or other emergency when the information reported to police is vague, he said. They can help supervisors allocate officers to multiple incidents based on individual needs.

Like most police departments, Oceanside has been using drones for several years. However, under the present system, one of the department’s 14 officers qualified as drone pilots must drive to the scene, get out of the patrol vehicle and unload the equipment before launching, Provence said.

All that adds time that delays the police response.

Provence presented the information Thursday at a meeting of Oceanside’s Police and Fire Commission, which voted unanimously to recommend the Oceanside City Council accept a state grant to fund the project.

The California Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount has awarded $264,816 from its 2024 Citizens Options for Public Safety (COPS) program for the Oceanside project.

Some of money will pay for a “real time response center,” which will be a single room at police headquarters where officers will monitor drones and other crime-fighting technology.

The response center will be a hub for the collection, analysis and dispensation of information from drone video and other sources such as automated license plate readers, stationary video cameras, radio calls, 911 calls and more.

“This is the best way to ensure we are properly using the technology at our disposal,” said Steve Walter, the department’s Crime Analysis and Intelligence Manager.

Some members of the commission had security concerns about the drones, such as whether the cameras would transmit video while flying to and from crime scenes.

“This is random surveillance,” said Commissioner Karen Glover.

Provence responded that the drone’s camera is aimed more toward the horizon while traveling, so it would be unlikely to record or transmit video of the properties beneath it. Also, the drone flies at an elevation of about 200 feet, which would make it less likely to record details below, until it arrives at a scene and drops lower.

Commissioners also asked questions about who would have access to the data collected.

Oceanside, like most other cities, has a written policy that covers who can see or distribute the information, police officials said. If necessary, the policy could be amended by the City Council.

“I see this as a very good program because the city is expanding,” said Commissioner Rob Howard. “We need this coverage.”

More than a dozen California cities already use first responder drone systems.

Chula Vista, the second-largest city in San Diego County, launched one of the first in the nation in 2017 to cover about 30% of the city.

The average response time for a drone in Chula Vista is under two minutes compared to about six minutes for an officer, according to the city’s website. The equipment has assisted in 3,225 arrests.

Oceanside has been using officer-deployed drones since 2018 and now has about 15 of various types and sizes.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office became the first agency in the county to use the more conventional battery-powered drones for surveillance in 2016, and has used them in homicide investigations, SWAT incidents and search-and-rescue missions.

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