The sheriff’s office has 35 drones and about 50 deputies certified to operate them. Public flight records show the aircraft have flown in Seattle more than 15 times since December 2025. The county says its drones may be used in six types of situations, including emergencies involving armed suspects or natural disasters, search-and-rescue operations, security checks and crime-scene documentation.

One drone flew over Seattle Center four times between 9:01 and 9:50 p.m. after a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival in July left three people dead. Seattle police spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Michaud said the drone recorded photos and video for the investigation. Sheriff’s deputies also used drones to help secure airspace around the stadium during Seattle’s summer World Cup matches.

Seattle’s 2017 surveillance ordinance requires City Council approval before city departments adopt technology capable of recording its surroundings. The city abandoned its own police drone program after public opposition in 2013. Michaud said the department sold its drones and has not revived the program.

But city officials say the ordinance does not cover King County’s drone program. Seattle IT spokesperson Megan Erb said the law applies to city departments, while the city’s Inspector General for Public Safety, Lisa Judge, said the county sheriff’s office has concurrent jurisdiction in Seattle. Judge said the county program has not violated the ordinance and that requests for drone support from Seattle police appear limited so far. Her office will monitor use for potential effects on privacy and civil liberties.

Seattle leaders are considering whether county drone operators should be stationed at major events so they can respond quickly to emergencies. The proposal is still being developed, and Mayor Katie Wilson’s office says it plans to work with police, the City Council and residents. Councilmember Bob Kettle, chair of the council’s public safety committee, said officials expect to examine the idea in the first quarter of 2027, weighing security needs against privacy concerns.

The sheriff’s office says drone requests are screened to determine whether a flight is appropriate. Any photos or video deputies capture must be stored in evidence.com, a platform operated by law enforcement technology company Axon. The drones are not armed and do not use facial recognition, the sheriff’s office says; their cameras are pointed horizontally while they travel.

Sgt. Jason Stanley, who leads the sheriff’s Air Control Unit, said the aircraft can reduce risks to officers. He said the county designed its policy with American Civil Liberties Union guidance and received approval for it from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The ACLU of Washington’s technology policy director, Tee Sannon, cautioned that even limited programs can raise questions about whether drones are used more often in some neighborhoods than others. She also warned about “mission creep” if aircraft initially deployed for emergency response later become tools for broader investigative surveillance.

Those concerns come as more regional agencies consider the technology. Seattle Fire Department officials have proposed using up to three drones to monitor dangerous conditions and track fast-moving fires, while police departments in Kent and Bellevue are studying or piloting drones. In Redmond, police Chief Darrell Lowe has described drones as a way to help officers respond faster, including to a theft in which aerial tracking helped officers reach a suspect within minutes.