Pasadena police present drone policy; commission votes to draft memo supporting policy with added clarifications

Pasadena — The Pasadena Police Department presented a revised unmanned aerial systems (UAS) policy Wednesday that, if adopted, would expand drone use for public‑safety missions but include several explicit limits and oversight features. Lieutenant Anthony Russo told the Citizens Police Oversight Commission the draft policy incorporated six community priority areas from a CPOC ad hoc committee covering safety, privacy and civil liberties, purpose and use, evaluation and accountability, data security, and community benefit.

Russo described specific commitments: PPD UAS will not be weaponized and will not be equipped with facial‑recognition or other biometric identification technology; each deployment will be tied to a documented operational purpose; drone video/data retention will follow current evidentiary and department retention rules and be limited to mission‑relevant uses; mutual‑aid or outside requests will require approval and adherence to data‑handling requirements; and procurement will consider vendor origin, cybersecurity and public trust, with an emphasis on U.S.‑made equipment.

"PPD UAS will not be equipped with facial recognition or other biometric identification technology," Russo said, adding that operators would maintain human oversight and comply with FAA rules and applicable state transparency measures (including AB 481 reporting).

Commissioners pressed for clearer accountability metrics and for explicit periodic reporting timelines; Commissioner Lervi and others asked the department to define how often the program would be reviewed and what metrics (response times, arrests aided, training hours) would determine whether to continue or expand use. Russo said the department intends annual reviews and AB 481 reporting and would catalog missions, purposes and outcomes for public reporting.

After discussion, Commissioner Lervi moved that CPOC draft a memo to the city attorney in support of PPD’s draft UAS policy while incorporating clarifications raised by commissioners; the motion passed on a roll call with a majority in favor and two abstentions (recorded abstentions included Vice Chair Ho and Commissioner Ybanez).

The policy as presented commits PPD to: document purpose for each deployment; prohibit generalized or roving surveillance; maintain data‑security protections; restrict access to authorized personnel; and report program outcomes publicly. Russo said the department will mark equipment as law‑enforcement assets, provide training and oversight, and include UAS reporting in the annual military‑equipment (AB 481) cycle.

Next steps: the commission’s memo will be drafted to counsel; Public Safety Committee and Council processes will follow per statutory transparency requirements.