Commission to review sheriff's drone policy

On Monday, the Public Safety Commission will get its first look at major equipment, technology and security improvements coming to WeHo and the Sheriff's Department.

In December, the City Council directed staff to develop policies that would address community and operational concerns related to the introduction of drones as first responders, the installation of fixed real-time cameras, and the creation of a real-time monitoring center. The draft policy places strong emphasis on transparency of data use, accessibility, data retention, sharing policies and rigorous auditing to prevent misuse of data or technology.

The proposed Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) policy specifies that only authorized personnel of the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station or designated auxiliary units may operate drones. These drones would be deployed for a variety of purposes, including responding to emergency calls, search and rescue operations, surveillance during high-risk tactical operations, disaster response efforts, and documentation of crime scenes or traffic investigations.

Significantly, the policy includes strict prohibitions against the use of drones to track individuals for the purpose of relaying information to states with differing legal standards, or for any operation related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ). Additionally, the policy prohibits the use of drones to record or photograph peaceful and lawful protests for the purpose of identifying participants.

Privacy concerns were meticulously addressed in the policy, ensuring measures were in place to prevent the inadvertent recording or transmission of images from areas where individuals have an expectation of privacy . The policy also requires that the collection or dissemination of data from the use of drones must not infringe on constitutional rights or discriminate against individuals on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, nationality , religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

To ensure compliance and accountability, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is responsible for processing all requests for drone-captured video or photographs in accordance with the California Public Records Act. Data collected that is not considered conclusive must be deleted after 30 days in order to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of the data.

In terms of oversight, complaints about inappropriate drone use should be handled in accordance with LASD department policy, with the public able to file complaints in person or online. Additionally, the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station Training Sergeant is responsible for conducting quarterly audits of UAS flights to ensure policy compliance, with findings reported to the city.

Reflecting on the success of similar initiatives in other cities, City Hall recommends a one-year drone pilot program as a first responder. This pilot project is designed to provide deputies with real-time, decision-quality data to improve incident management and improve de-escalation capabilities in the event of an emergency.

Operational requirements for the drone program include a dedicated deputy and an FAA-trained contractor, with the deputy acting as a remote pilot operating the real-time monitoring center. This center should also coordinate operations involving real-time fixed cameras, which, like drones, are limited to reactive use during specific incidents rather than continuous surveillance.

Each pilot program, including drones, fixed cameras and the monitoring center, has an estimated annual cost of $250,000. The implementation phase for each is expected to take approximately 180 days, pending City Council approval.