The proposed rules would prohibit the San Francisco Police Department from using drones for personal purposes or “general surveillance.” They would allow drone use for public safety, active criminal investigations and training. Officers would need a warrant to use a drone specifically to look inside a home or an enclosed private yard.

The policy also formally permits practices the department says are already routine, including dispatching a drone in response to a call for service so its operator can assess whether an officer is needed. Drones could also be used for community outreach, such as demonstrations for students or media, with approval from a captain or higher-ranking official.

The vote followed a crowded, contentious meeting, with about 50 people attending and many urging commissioners to reject the measure. Deputy Public Defender Brian Cox criticized the process, saying, “We really missed the opportunity to have a working group here.” Another public speaker argued that the policy’s broad “public safety” language needed more precise limits on when and how drones could be used.

Benedicto said he wanted more public input, citing widespread concerns about surveillance. “As policymakers we have a responsibility to listen to the public and take them seriously,” he wrote.

Police Department policy director Asja Steeves told commissioners the language was designed to be clear to officers and that the activities covered by “public safety” would not go beyond current police practices. She also said the department is developing data-protection rules addressing several police technologies, including drones and automated license plate readers. Those rules are expected to come before the commission in several months.

Concerns over drone oversight have intensified after a coalition led by the public defender’s office objected to an earlier draft, raising data-security and warrantless-search issues. A separate report in July found SFPD drone footage accessible through an unguarded online link. In August, a court dismissed a case based on drone footage after officers misinterpreted what it showed.

The department operates 98 drones, including 14 launched remotely from its Real Time Investigation Center, police spokesperson Evan Sernoffsky said. Drone use in San Francisco has increased sharply since the Board of Supervisors approved the city’s first drone rules in 2024.

After commissioners approved advancing the new policy, most of the remaining audience stood and chanted, “The S.F. people say no! Skydio has got to go!”—a reference to the drone manufacturer—before leaving the room. The Board of Supervisors must still decide whether to approve the policy.