'First responder' drone proposal by Santa Rosa police raises community privacy concerns

ByCornell Barnard KGO logo
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Drone proposal by Santa Rosa police raises community privacy concerns
Santa Rosa PD is considering using drones, which act as first responders by arriving at a crime in progress or natural disaster before officers do.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, a proposed police drone program is raising concerns over equity and privacy issues.

Santa Rosa Police Department is considering using drones, which act as first responders by arriving at a crime in progress or natural disaster before officers do. Some civil rights groups believe the idea should be grounded before it takes flight.

It's a new tool that could transform the way Santa Rosa police respond to some emergency calls by using drones as first responders before officers arrive.

"Drones can get there within two minutes and give us an aerial view of what's going on in that moment," said Santa Rosa Police Sergeant Patricia Seffens.

Steffens says the drones could be launched remotely from the roofs of buildings, traveling up to 50 mph and hovering 300 feet off the ground. Its video feed is monitored in real time allowing the department to decide how police should respond.

MORE: SFPD debuts new drone to fight crime, alleviate staffing shortage

"It could be a violent in-progress crime or it could be a natural disaster," Steffens said.

The "Drone as First Responder" program is already being used by Fremont police and the Chula Vista Police Department near San Diego.

"Think about how important it is to determine if it's a pencil in someone's hand or a knife or cell phone. This is about de-escalation at its best," said Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy.

Not everyone is convinced. The criminal justice branch of the Sonoma County NAACP says without safeguards, it can't support the program due to potential civil rights threats and privacy concerns.

"And this is statistically validated, that they tend to over-monitor communities of color. So, the concern is given that the drones will be flying over certain communities more than the other communities," said Stephen Zollman, Criminal Justice Chair for the Sonoma County NAACP.

MORE: San Francisco police using drones to follow, arrest suspects

the Drone program could cost as much as $250,000 annually. Zollman would like that money to be spent elsewhere.

"The money put into mental health and trauma services would be better than having law enforcement over-police," Zollman said.

"We want the community to know these will not be used for surveillance or patrol," Seffens said.

A series of public meetings are being held to get community feedback about the police drone idea. The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. in Santa Rosa City Hall.

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