By SDCN Staff
Oceanside, CA – The Oceanside Police Department has launched a new crime-fighting pilot program designed to enhance response times and officer safety in the city.
The department will be implementing drones as first responders. The drone program will provide real-time situational awareness during calls for service in the city, according to the Oceanside Police Department.
The Oceanside City Council approved the 13-month pilot program that will operate a drone from a rooftop location in downtown Oceanside. The drone will be dispatched to calls for service involving criminal activity, missing people, or other emergency incidents and will provide live video feed to responding officers and the department’s Real-Time Crime Center. The drone’s focus will be on calls for service in the downtown area.
The drone pilot initiative is funded through a $264,816 state grant awarded through the 2024 Citizens Options for Public Safety (COPS) program. The funding supports the purchase of drones, operations software, and staffing for safe drone flight operations. The staff is fully trained and certified drone pilots, each prepared to deploy the aircraft in compliance with FAA regulations and department protocols. A dedicated visual observer will also assist during each flight to ensure safe operations in the airspace.
The department has deployed a transparency portal where the public can view the drones’ flight activity and service calls.
The transparency website is available here.
