Unmanned Aerial Systems ("Drones")
Unmanned Aerial Systems
In November of 2019, the Oxnard Police Department began operating small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), more commonly known as "drones" for public safety operations. Drones are tools that are rapidly becoming more integrated in public service, and have shown many safety-related uses.
The Oxnard Police Department is committed to using drones in a specific, structured, and transparent manner that addresses common concerns that the public expresses about them. Only a handful of personnel will operate them, and they will be highly trained to pilot them.
The Oxnard Police Department established a policy that states: “UAS Unit missions will be accomplished efficiently and safely while respecting the law and the privacy of the public. All UAS applications will obey Federal, State and City laws, and shall respect Constitutional rights, privacy rights, search and seizure regulations, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.” This policy is available to the public on this web page (see link to the right).
The policy also specifies categories for their use:
Incident documentation (traffic collision diagramming, crime scene diagramming)
Field operations support
Tactical operations support
Investigative support
Area searches
Search and rescue
Explosive device investigation support
Hazardous material response operation support
Illegal fireworks enforcement
Firefighting operation support
Fire investigation support
Disaster / mass casualty event response and recovery operation support
Event planning and management
Aerial surveying and geographic information systems (GIS) support
Building and public works infrastructure inspection support
Our drones will not be used for random patrols.
NEWS RELEASE (November 13, 2019): Oxnard Police Department’s first drone deployment assists with the arrest of a brandishing suspect
The above photos depict the same location. The photo on the left is from a drone's vantage point during a search for a suspect, who is laying on the ground. The photo on the right depicts the same location, but with thermal imaging. In the photo at right, officers are approaching the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident.
On March 12, 2020, two neighbors in the Pleasant Valley Estates housing tract observed a suspicious subject looking into rear yards of their neighbors’ homes. The reporting neighbors contacted police and followed the subject until the first officers arrived. When the officers attempted to stop the subject on his bicycle the subject dumped the bicycle and started climbing fences to rear yards to elude detainment. Responding officers set up a containment perimeter and launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to assist in the search. The UAV operator was able to follow him and coordinate perimeter officers to contain in the suspect in the rear yard of a home in the 800 block of Yale Place. Officers persuaded the suspect to surrender, without incident, utilizing the Police Canine “Leo”. The suspect was arrested for resisting arrest and an additional drug-related charge. He is now under investigation as a suspect in recent burglaries and thefts in the neighborhood.
