San Francisco Police Department Drone Flight Logs

<strong>Update:</strong> On September 1, 2025, the SFPD updated data collection procedures for the reason for flight column, consolidating from a plain text field to police radio code. The list of values includes: (Criminal Investigation, Training/Test, Major or Critical Incidents, or Fire/Mutual Aid). This change was made in order to better systemically capture data over time. 

<strong>SUMMARY</strong>
This dataset Includes records of all SFPD deployed small Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (sUAS) beginning May 16, 2024, to present month. These sUAS are used to enhance the safety of the community and officers by providing air support and situational awareness for law enforcement operations. Under Prop E (<u><a href="https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-69929#JD_96I.2">SF Admin Code 96I.2(e)(2)</a></u>) the Department is authorized to use sUAS along with or in lieu of vehicle pursuits and to assist with active criminal investigations. Strategic Investigations has oversight of the program to ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local laws as well as Department policy and guidelines.

<strong>HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED</strong>
sUAS are deployed and operated exclusively by sworn personnel pilots licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The deployment of the departments sUAS occurs during active criminal investigations and/or vehicle pursuits, from which then, a flight log is generated by the UAS operator prior to the end of their shift. The designated program manager then reviews and approves flight logs for monthly publication of flight logs. After each flight, the pilot tags the Digital Media Evidence (DME) as having evidentiary value or not. If DME is found to have no evidentiary value, as it is not relevant to a criminal, civil or administrative matter, data may be deleted within 30 days. Contrastingly if there is evidentiary value, as it is relevant to a criminal, civil or administrative matter, it shall be retained for a minimum of 2 years and in accordance with federal/state laws and regulations. This retention schedule mirrors the SFPD policy for Body Worn Camera Footage.

<strong>WHAT PRIVACY CONTROLS ARE THIS DATASET SUBJECT TO?</strong>
The release of this data aims to balance public transparency with the protection of individual privacy, in full compliance with applicable laws. To protect individuals in this dataset from potential re-identification, incident locations are generalized to intersections or the 100-block level. If outside SFPD districts, locations are marked as “Out of SF” or “Unknown”. 
No other personal identifiable information (PII) is included for any individuals involved—such as suspects, victims, reporting parties, officers, or witnesses within this dataset.
Incidents involving juveniles are excluded in accordance with California Government Code § 6254 and Welfare and Institutions Code § 827.

<strong>UPDATE PROCESS</strong>
The previous month’s data is uploaded monthly, no more than 14 days after data processing.

<strong>HOW TO USE THIS DATASET</strong>
This dataset can be used for the purpose of understanding the use of drones in law enforcement/public safety: correlating drone flight data with arrests, crime rates, types of incidents. Spatial analysis: mapping where drones are deployed to understand possible patterns (e.g. geographic clustering). Using the dataset for public awareness and enabling the community to have data informed discussions regarding drone use by law enforcement.

<strong>RELATED DATASETS</strong>
<u><a href="https://data.sfgov.org/Public-Safety/Law-Enforcement-Dispatched-Calls-for-Service-Close/2zdj-bwza/about_data">Law Enforcement Dispatched Calls for Service: Closed</a></u>
<u><a href="https://data.sfgov.org/Public-Safety/Police-Department-Incident-Reports-2018-to-Present/wg3w-h783/about_data">Police Department Incident Reports: 2018 to Present</a></u>

Organization: City of San Francisco