The Lompoc Police Department will launch a Drone as First Responder program to leverage technology for fighting crime and boosting resources in what Police Chief Kevin Martin called “a total game-changer.”

The City Council last week unanimously agreed to authorize $100,000 for two aircraft and software plus use of grant funds to add a community services officer to serve as the operator. The total cost of the two-year pilot project is expected to be $426,486.

The Drone as First Responder program uses an operator at a remote, centralized location deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle to assess the scene of an incident.

“Drone as First Responder aims to leverage drone technology to improve the efficiency of our police responses, enhance officer and community safety, and facilitate more effective de-escalation strategies,” Martin said during last Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

“Drones can be deployed swiftly to assess and monitor incidents, providing crucial information to help de-escalate potential volatile situations. Real-time information from drone footage ensures the appropriate police resources are dispatched, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our response.”

The drones also can be used to monitor the city’s parades and other community events. 

The city would use Flock Safety hardware and software for the program. Flock provides the license plate reader cameras placed around Lompoc to help police crack down on crime. 

Those existing cameras have helped reduce vehicle thefts by almost 40% and led to solving multiple theft rings to recover more than $100,000 in merchandise in Lompoc alone, the police chief said. 

The new Drone as First Responder system would be incorporated with the existing cameras.

“By no means does DFR replace a needed police officer. It does, however, assist current officers in providing a higher level of service to our community,” Martin said. 

Other police departments, including Elk Grove and Hawthorne, have adopted Drone as First Responder programs.

The drones will be equipped with a zoom lens plus night vision and thermal imagine capabilities. 

Grant funds will help pay for some of the two-year pilot program, the chief said.

Flock Safety’s Brett Kanda said the drones allow small departments such as Lompoc’s to have access to air support at a price much lower than a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.

He showed a video of a domestic violence incident in Hawthorne where the suspect fleeing the scene stops to bury a gun in the yard where children lived in the home. Police watched the video feed in real time and nabbed the man as he tried to run away.

“You can imagine the risks and danger to those young kids inside of the home. With Drone as First Responder, the officers were immediately able to locate where that weapon was and also use it for evidence,” Kanda said. 

A key feature of the Flock DFR system is a dashboard designed for transparency and giving details about responses to calls for service, the number of subjects located and the types of calls handled.

Councilman Jeremy Ball asked how the system tackles transparency while protecting privacy.

Kanda said the drone’s camera would be pointed at the horizon while flying to the scene of an incident to avoid invading anyone’s privacy.

Additionally, the drone would not be used for proactive purposes, but instead would sit in its docking station at its launch point until a 9-1-1 call when it could be deployed.

“This is a reactive tool with very, very strict safeguards around it, not only in technology but also from an SOP (standard operating procedure) perspective for the agency,” Kanda said. 

Martin said the Police Department would develop a policy about procedures, including spelling out the camera’s position during flight.

Some residents expressed concerns about drone security and personal privacy.

“Is there an ethical oversight of this kind of program, because it is in essence spying on people, our residents,” resident Kathy Howard said, adding that she comes from the era of Big Brother government to surveil citizens.

Danny Diaz read the Fourth Amendment about unreasonable search and seizure. 

“I think this is over-invasive,” Diaz said.

The council’s approval establishes the program for two years but would require a review before renewing it.

“I think it’s worth the experiment to see what’s going on,” Mayor Jim Mosby said.

The police chief said he hopes to launch the Drone as First Responder program within the first few months of 2026.