Oceanside police researching drones
The Oceanside Police Department is studying the idea of buying drones that could help officers look for missing people, search for a suspect or provide aerial views of dangerous situations.
If the city decides to purchase any of the devices, Oceanside would be the first police agency in the county to add unmanned aerial vehicles to its fleet .
Privacy advocates and civil rights organizations say police drones, which usually carry cameras, could open the door to mass government surveillance and privacy violations. Law enforcement officials, however, say the devices can be a valuable tool that would help keep people safe during situations such as search and rescue missions and SWAT operations.
Police Chief Frank McCoy recently tasked two of his officers to research drones to see if they may be helpful in Oceanside, said Lt. Aaron Doyle, one of the officers conducting the review.
“Right now, it’s really in its infancy,” Doyle said. “I’m looking at around the beginning of next year bringing to the chief something to look at, including the different costs, the benefits and any downsides.”
Capt Fred Armijo said the police drones would be nothing like the military-style unmanned airplanes that are used overseas. The vehicles the department is researching are smaller, battery operated crafts that can only fly for less than an hour.
“What I don’t see a drone doing is any kind of random patrols,” Armijo said. “Most of the ones we’re seeing are more hobbyist style (UAVs) less capable of extended flight times.”
The department recently met with Lockheed Martin Corp. for a demonstration of that company’s Indago cq unmanned aerial vehicle, Doyle said. The machine is about 32 inches long and about seven inches tall and can fly up to 500 feet in the air for up to 50 minutes, according to the company’s website.
Doyle said the drones can cost $80,000 or more, with additional costs for storing the data they collect. The cost will be one the most important factors in deciding whether the department goes forward with a purchase, he said.
Mayor Jim Wood, a retired police detective, said he was not aware of the department’s research, but that he was open to the possibility of purchasing a drone. A UAV could be an alternative to calling in the Sheriff’s Department helicopter in some situations or when it’s not available, he said.
“It might be handy,” Wood said. “It might be cheaper than helicopters.”
Deputy Mayor Chuck Lowery said he also was unaware of the department’s efforts until he was asked about it by the San Diego Union-Tribune. He said he had some initial concerns, including how the department would protect people’s privacy.
After speaking with police officials Thursday, however, Lowery said they were able to help ease some of his concerns.
“They told me that (their) job is not to spy on people,” Lowery said. “Their job is to make sure people in the community are safe. I was reassured by that.”
Advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have raised questions about privacy protections, such as where images or videos captured by the drones are stored and for how long.
“Drones are very capable surveillance devices. They stealthy and harder to recognize. They are capable of going to places that helicopters can’t and recording intimate details through a window, over a backyard or over a crowd at a protest,” said Chris Conley, a policy attorney for the ACLU. “The other piece is that there needs to be a real conversation with the community about how drones are going to be used. This kind of thing needs to be thought through and fleshed out.”
Doyle said the department is looking into those questions as well. He said the department is reviewing a drone policy adopted by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, which could serve as a model for Oceanside. The department would not use drones for surveillance without a warrant, Doyle said.
There are many instances when a drone would be helpful and could save lives, he said. For example, drones outfitted with infrared technology can help officers find people lost in dark, wooded areas. They can also help police search for suspects or help officers get a bird’s-eye view of a SWAT situation.
Thus far, no other law enforcement agency in the county has a drone. Several of the largest agencies — including the Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police, Escondido Police Department and Chula Vista Police Department — said recently they have no immediate plans to use them.
Only about 100 agencies in the country are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate drones.
In San Diego County, the U.S. Air Force has two authorizations, used by Special Forces Operations on the Silver Strand and in Imperial Beach. The Barona Band of Mission Indians sought an authorization but later canceled its request for a fire-suppression drone.
