Chief praises community evacuation drill; asks council for radios and drone policy

Carmel-by-the-Sea’s police chief presented an after‑action report on a large May 30 evacuation drill that tested the city’s emergency partnerships, volunteer network and communications systems. Chief Todd Traer told the council the exercise involved 22 law‑enforcement, fire and safety partners and took about an hour and 15 minutes to complete under controlled conditions; a controlled convoy took roughly 8 minutes to reach the safe zone. “We contacted 7,308 people through the reverse 911 system,” the chief said, and staff identified nearly 900 message failures and incorrect phone numbers that required follow-up.

Chief Traer identified operational lessons and requests to strengthen future response: he asked the council to consider purchasing four additional multi‑band radios (he estimated roughly $17,000 each) to ensure mutual radio interoperability with regional partners, and he urged that the city develop a clear public policy before acquiring drone capability. The chief said two drones were used in the drill (Cal Fire and Monterey PD) and credited the aerial footage with improved situational awareness. Councilmembers and public commenters praised the exercise and urged regular outreach to raise resident opt‑in for alerts; Chief Traer recommended annual reverse‑911 exercises timed to the fire season or Safety Awareness Month and said staff would return with cost details and a proposed drone policy.

The presentation included multiple public commenters—CERT volunteers and residents—who called the drill a success and urged continued training and community engagement. Council members offered to help distribute public‑signup materials (QR codes, business‑card handouts) and directed staff to return with budget and policy recommendations for radios and the drone program.