By November, a 911 call in Thousand Oaks could trigger a drone launch, giving law‑enforcement an aerial view of an emergency before a deputy reaches the scene. The city council approved a $700,000 expansion of its police drone program, and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors has moved forward with a contract for the technology.
Program details
The upgraded system will use six Skydio X10 drones, pre‑positioned on commercial rooftops along the 101 Freeway—two on the west side, two in the center, and two on the east side. When a 911 call comes in, a single pilot at the dispatch center will launch the nearest drone. The aircraft will initially fly autonomously with collision‑avoidance sensors, then a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputy will steer it over the incident, streaming live video and updates to officers on the ground.
All video and image data will be treated like body‑worn camera footage. Evidentiary material will be retained for two years; non‑evidentiary footage will be kept for at least 60 days.
Privacy concerns and official response
Residents voiced worries about potential over‑surveillance. Thousand Oaks resident Clint Fultz asked the council to pause funding until clear policies are presented, citing broader concerns about drones, Flock license‑plate readers and future technologies.
The Sheriff’s Office has faced scrutiny after an internal audit revealed its Flock Safety license‑plate reader system shared county data with out‑of‑state agencies more than 364,000 times without approval. Although the department disabled the “National Lookup” feature in June 2023, the feature reportedly reactivated later without explanation.
Police Chief Jeremy Paris emphasized that the drones are a “call response tool,” not a surveillance platform. He clarified that the drones lack facial‑recognition or biometric capabilities and will not conduct random patrols. Capt. Greg Gibson echoed these points, stressing the program’s focus on reducing response times and protecting the community.
Funding and rollout
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office will provide drone services to both Thousand Oaks and neighboring Camarillo, with Camarillo covering up to 40% of the cost after approving its own budget allocation in July. With unanimous council and county board approval, hardware installation is slated to begin in early November, and the program is expected to launch later that month.
This initiative reflects a growing trend among local law‑enforcement agencies to leverage unmanned aircraft for rapid, situational awareness while navigating the balance between public safety and civil‑liberty protections.
Original reporting: Thousand Oaks Acorn — read the source article.
