Eyes in the Sky, Rights On The Ground: What San Diego’s Police Drone Boom Means For Privacy, Policing, And Public Safety

[Brian]

Eyes in the Sky, Rights On The Ground: What San Diego’s Police Drone Boom Means For Privacy, Policing, And Public Safety

Law enforcement drones are now so widespread across San Diego County that the question is no longer whether police are watching from above, but how often, under what rules, and with whose consent.

According to a new investigation by iNewSource, nearly every major law enforcement agency in San Diego County operates drones, with fleets ranging from a handful of units to more than 70 aircraft under the control of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Programs once described as experimental are now routine, and in cities like Chula Vista and Oceanside, drones are being dispatched to 911 calls before officers ever arrive.

At the same time, dismissing drone technology outright ignores hard realities. Police helicopters cost between $500 and $2,000 per flight hour when fuel, maintenance, staffing, and depreciation are included, according to the National Institute of Justice. A modern police drone costs a small fraction of that and can often resolve a call without sending officers at all. Oceanside police report that their drone-as-first-responder pilot eliminated the need for an in-person response in nearly one-third of calls it handled. That is not trivial. Fewer armed responses mean fewer opportunities for escalation, fewer use-of-force incidents, and fewer mistakes made under stress.

San Diego now sits at a crossroads. Drones can absolutely make communities safer, cheaper to protect, and less reliant on aggressive policing. But without strict limits, warrants for prolonged tracking, clear data-retention rules, and real public accountability, they also risk normalizing a form of ambient surveillance that the Constitution was never designed to tolerate.

Technology should serve the public, not condition it. The case for drones in firefighting, disaster response, and medical rescue is overwhelming and should be accelerated. The case for drones as everyday police patrol tools is far weaker and demands skepticism, restraint, and law that keeps pace with the machines now quietly filling the sky.

https://www.sandiegoville.com/2026/01/e ... t-san.html

Law enforcement drones fly almost everywhere in San Diego County now.
https://inewsource.org/2026/01/15/san-d ... responder/

Number of drones owned by San Diego law enforcement
The Sheriff's Office owned the most drones with 71 in its fleet, according to its latest military equipment report. Coronado Police Department reported having none.
San Diego County Sheriff: 71
San Diego Police Department: 43
Chula Vista Police Department: 36
Escondido Police Department: 22
Oceanside Police Department: 15
Carlsbad Police Department: 12
La Mesa Police Department: 11
El Cajon Police Department: 9
National City Police Department: 3
SDSU Police: 3
San Diego County District Attorney's Office: 2

[mike]

It could violate the 4th Amendment.