SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Police Department is now running a drone trial program. It’s the first time they are partnering up with the Sacramento Fire Department to respond to calls as well.
For the next two weeks, police will be running a drone trial program in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood. Sergeant Nic Fox, with Air Operations, said the first day was a success. They already used it to respond to six calls on Wednesday.
“If a call for service comes out, we can get the drone there in about 90 seconds, and from that point on, it is an officer that operates the drone providing radio updates to the ground,” Fox said.
The drones will be used on calls to help determine resources needed for response, searches and overwatch.
It's also a first-time partnership with Sacramento Fire Department. Justin Sylvia, fire department spokesperson, said this will help determine resources and the best access point, especially for fires along the American River Parkway.
“It helps with the flow of information as well as resources to make sure we are being the most effective agency for our community,” Fox said.
Sacramento Police Department has had a Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) team since 2019. They have 24 certified pilots. In 2024, the team supported 170 emergency calls conducting close to 600 drone flights. This trial will assess call volume and crime patterns. Sacramento Fire says the Del Paso Heights area has a higher volume of calls than some others.
“(It) Gives us the largest area to respond to as well as call volume to make sure we are accurately seeing what the response could look like if we were to build this out to a full-time program” Fox said.
For transparency, you can see the drone flights on the Sacramento police website under Airdata. In the month of November, they’ve flown to calls like pursuits, suspicious person and burglaries.
Sacramento Police Department wants to be very clear these are not surveillance drones.
“We are not surveying the public; we are responding to a direct inquiry or direct request or call for service. We do not do general surveillance. We do not do patrol flights. The only reason we are going to be responding is a specific call for service or request for help,” Fox said.
The drones will be available to fly Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., covering a two-mile radius. They are equipped with cameras, infrared and spotlights. Sacramento Fire is contributing financially and, in the future, is interested in their own drone program.
Sacramento Police Department said they are using existing resources to fund the program, so there is no added cost for the trial.
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