Policy Text
Policy Delano Police Department
606 Delano PD Policy Manual
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations
606.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the use of an unmanned aerial system
(UAS) and for the storage, retrieval and dissemination of images and data captured by the UAS.
606.1.1 DEFINITIONS
Definitions related to this policy include:
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) - An unmanned aircraft of any type that is capable of sustaining
directed flight, whether preprogrammed or remotely controlled (commonly referred to as an
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)), and all of the supporting or attached systems designed for
gathering information through imaging, recording or any other means.
606.2 POLICY
Unmanned aerial systems may be utilized to enhance the department’s mission of protecting lives
and property when other means and resources are not available or are less effective. Any use
of a UAS will be in strict accordance with constitutional and privacy rights and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) regulations.
606.3 PRIVACY
The use of the UAS potentially involves privacy considerations. Absent a warrant or exigent
circumstances, operators and observers shall adhere to FAA altitude regulations and shall not
intentionally record or transmit images of any location where a person would have a reasonable
expectation of privacy (e.g., residence, yard, enclosure). Operators and observers shall take
reasonable precautions to avoid inadvertently recording or transmitting images of areas where
there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. Reasonable precautions can include, for example,
deactivating or turning imaging devices away from such areas or persons during UAS operations.
606.4 PROGRAM COORDINATOR
The Chief of Police will appoint a program coordinator who will be responsible for the management
of the UAS program. The program coordinator will ensure that policies and procedures conform to
current laws, regulations and best practices and will have the following additional responsibilities:
• Coordinating the FAA Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) application process
and ensuring that the COA is current.
• Ensuring that all authorized operators and required observers have completed all
required FAA and department-approved training in the operation, applicable laws,
policies and procedures regarding use of the UAS.
• Developing uniform protocol for submission and evaluation of requests to deploy
a UAS, including urgent requests made during ongoing or emerging incidents.
Deployment of a UAS shall require written authorization of the Chief of Police or the
authorized designee, depending on the type of mission.
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations -
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/12/06, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Delano Police Department 1