Image of department drone hovering in the air with city skyline in the background

Drones

Image of department drone hovering in the air with city in the background

The San Francisco Police Department began using drones, also called an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), after voters passed Proposition E in March of 2024. This marked the first time SFPD has had air support for officers since 2000.

Drones have multiple public safety benefits for the city of San Francisco, including faster response times, increased situational awareness for officers, more precision, the ability to integrate with other technology, and many other uses.

The initial phase of Department drone deployment includes six drones. Drones are only used for law enforcement purposes, like criminal investigations and critical incidents.

SFPD has a robust policy on drone usage that complies with federal, state, and local laws and ensures individuals’ constitutional rights are protected.

Watch our drones in action

Drone Policies

Flight Logs

This dataset includes records of all SFPD deployed small Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (sUAS) beginning May 16, 2024, to the present month. These sUAS are used to enhance the safety of the community and officers by providing air support and situational awareness for law enforcement operations. Under Prop E (SF Admin Code 96I.2(e)(2)), the Department is authorized to use sUAS along with or in lieu of vehicle pursuits and to assist with active criminal investigations. Strategic Investigations has oversight of the program to ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local laws as well as Department policy and guidelines.

View Flight Logs