County approves sheriff drone program with Skydio X10 and policy safeguards
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Summary
The Board approved a $152,918.36 capital purchase for a four‑unit Skydio X10 UAS program for the Sheriff’s Office, adding the equipment to the county AB 481 list; staff said operators will be FAA Part 107 certified, footage stored via Axon/evidence.com, and policies based on Lexipol will govern use and privacy.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 6 approved the Sheriff’s Office proposal to create an in-house unmanned aerial systems (UAS) program and to acquire four Skydio X10 drones and supporting systems, citing officer safety, improved search‑and‑rescue capability and more timely situational awareness.
Captain Sean Scales described operational roles: scene documentation, search and rescue, tactical observation for special enforcement and negotiations, two‑way communication to subjects and streaming to incident command. Scales said operators will be trained to FAA Part 107 standards and the program will pursue waivers where appropriate (night operations, over people, operation over vehicles) and ensure proper approvals for sensitive uses.
The Board also approved adding the proposed equipment to the county’s AB 481 (military-equipment) list. Scales said the county selected Skydio X10 after testing multiple manufacturers; the Skydio platform supports interchangeable payloads (infrared, mapping, two‑way audio) and integration with evidence platforms. The department plans to store footage on evidence.com via Axon, which offers integrated evidence management and unlimited cloud storage tied to license counts.
Privacy and oversight were emphasized: the Sheriff’s Office attached a Lexipol‑based policy to the agenda and said policies prohibit fishing expeditions and preserve protections where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Board debated warrant requirements and was told that flights over private residences’ interiors or other areas with an expectation of privacy will require judicial authorization under existing case law.
Roll‑call votes on the procurement and AB 481 listing were recorded as unanimous.
