Lompoc OKs two‑year pilot for drone‑as‑first‑responder system with Flock Safety
Loading...
Summary
The council authorized a two‑year pilot agreement with Flock Safety for two DFR systems, funded initially with AB‑286 vehicle crime prevention grant funds; the program will be reviewed at the end of the pilot. Residents raised privacy and cybersecurity concerns during public comment.
The Lompoc City Council on Tuesday approved a two‑year pilot agreement with vendor Flock Safety to deploy two drone‑as‑first‑responder (DFR) systems and related software and services to support police and fire responses.
Police Chief Kevin Martin told the council the department seeks to add two automated Flock Aerodrome DFR units, docking stations, and software for remote launch and mission management, and to create a specialized community service officer (CSO) drone pilot position. The staff report proposed covering the first 18 months of the pilot with AB‑286 vehicle crime prevention grant funds (current balance cited at $327,692) and budgeting the final six months from the general fund if the program continues.
"The drone can arrive first on the scene of an emergency within 86 seconds," Chief Martin said, noting that rapid aerial situational awareness can reduce response times and assist de‑escalation. Flock representatives demonstrated the system’s integrations and public portal designed to display flight paths and mission types.
Flock’s Brett Kondo described privacy safeguards: "As soon as the police department gives the drone the launch command... the default setting is that the camera is going to point at the horizon as the drone is flying to that call for service to mitigate exactly the concern that you just brought up." The company said its cloud hosting meets federal GovCloud and FedRAMP expectations and that it conducts cybersecurity audits.
Public comment included both supporters — who stressed faster searches, thermal capability and efficiencies — and critics who described the program as invasive. One speaker told the council, "This is starting to sound suspiciously like Big Brother," while another asked whether footage would be subpoena‑able or could be hacked.
Council members pressed staff on policy, storage, FAA compliance, insurance and continuity if a CSO pilot is unavailable; staff said operational policies will be developed, that Flock offers unlimited cloud storage as part of the service, and that FAA public‑safety protocols (Part 91) apply. Councilmember Ball moved to approve the two‑year pilot and to require a review before any renewal; the motion passed 5–0.
The agreement authorizes procurement and execution of the Flock DFR subscription and related training; staff will return with policy documents and will evaluate program effectiveness at the end of the pilot term.
