Two more OC cities move to expand police drones

Cypress and Stanton moved to expand police drone use, with Stanton allowing sheriff’s deputies to deploy drones as first responders and Cypress approving a three-year drone contract, Voice of OC reported.

The moves add to a growing debate in Orange County over whether police drones can cut response times without expanding surveillance or exposing residents’ data to outside agencies.

Stanton City Council voted 3-0-2 to allow sheriff’s deputies to use a drone first responder program within city limits, according to Voice of OC. Councilman Victor Barrios was absent, and Councilman Donald Torres abstained.

Stanton Mayor David Shawver said the technology could help deputies assess calls before arriving. "If we can decrease response time to where responses are quicker and the evaluation is done before our deputies have to get there, it’s going to do three things. Number one is going to protect the person that called, it’s going to protect our deputies, and it’s going to give them the ability, if nothing’s going on, to move on to the next call," Shawver said, according to Voice of OC. "It saves a lot of time and it might even save a life."

Voice of OC reported that a five-week pilot in San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point had drones respond to 82 calls. The drones arrived before deputies 91% of the time, averaged a response time of 1 minute and 32 seconds and helped resolve about 20% of calls without requiring a deputy response.

But Torres and residents raised concerns about surveillance, data collection and access by outside agencies. "I’m abstaining from this item due to there not being a sufficient safeguard around surveillance and the collection of data produced," Torres said, according to Voice of OC. Doug Makino, a resident and member of Stanton’s public safety committee, asked officials to consider daily drone flights with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging.

Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn said oversight and policies would be needed. "As with any technology, ongoing oversight, clearly established policies, and applicable law are the appropriate tools for ensuring responsible use. Staff believes the potential public safety, community safety, and officer safety benefits of this program warrant its consideration while continuing to manage these technologies transparently and responsibly," Shin-Heydorn said, according to Voice of OC.

Cypress approved an over $138,000 three-year drone contract and accepted a $70,000 donation from the Cypress Police Foundation to help offset the cost, Voice of OC reported. The city plans to use drones for nighttime patrols, searches and special events, while Santa Ana officials earlier approved a roughly $683,000 three-year contract for a drone-as-a-first-responder program.

The decisions show how police drone programs are spreading across Orange County as city officials weigh faster emergency response against questions over privacy and data control.