Policy Text
Policy
614Fremont Police Department
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations
614.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines and protocol for the deployment and use of the
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) including the retention and/or destruction of media obtained using
the UAS in accordance with applicable Federal law, State law, and City of Fremont regulations.
614.1.1 DEFINITIONS
(a)Certificate of Authorization (COA): Given by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
granting permission to fly the UAS within specific boundaries and perimeters.
(b)Observer: A member of the Fremont Police Department or Fremont Fire Department
who is trained and authorized to maintain visual observation of the UAS while in flight.
(c)Operator: A member of the Fremont Police Department or Fremont Fire Department
who is trained, certified and authorized to control a UAS during flight.
(d)Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS): Consists of the small, unmanned aircraft weighing
less than 55 lbs., the command system, a secure control link and other safety and
support systems for operation of the UAS.
614.2 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.
614.3 PRIVACY
The use of the UAS potentially involves privacy considerations. Personnel will consider the
protection of individual civil rights and the reasonable expectation of privacy as a key component
of any decision made to deploy the UAS. Operators will take reasonable precautions to avoid
inadvertently recording or transmitting images that infringe upon an individual’s right to privacy.
614.4 USE OF UAS
Only authorized operators who have completed the required training shall be permitted
to deploy a UAS in the following circumstances. The operator should announce the
deployment of a UAS via the radio for supervisor awareness. A supervisor may prohibit the
deploying or use of a UAS.
(a)Public safety and life preservation missions including, barricaded suspects, hostage
situations, active shooters, apprehension of armed and dangerous fleeing suspects,
and high-risk search warrants;
(b)Mass casualty events;
(c)Lost or missing persons;
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Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations
(d)Rescue events;
(e)Disaster response and recovery;
(f)Suspected explosive devices;
(g)Fire suppression or investigation;
(h)Hazardous material releases;
(i)Post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation;
(j)Pursuant to a search warrant;
(k)Special Events;
(l)When there is probable cause to believe that the UAS will record images of a place,
thing, condition, or event, and that those images tend to show a felony has been
committed, or tends to show that a particular person has committed a felony.
(m)Anytime a UAS would enhance public safety, improve operational safety, incident
stabilization or incident mitigation as determined by the authorizing person;
(n)Anti-UAV operations when a person is operating a UAV in a manner which impedes
emergency personnel who, in the course of their duties, are coping with an emergency
(refer to Penal Code § 402(a)1);
(o)Training missions;
(p)In support of the Fremont Fire Department when the underlying mission meets the
uses outlined in this policy; and
(q)Mutual Aid support when the underlying mission meets the uses outlined in this policy.
614.4.1 CALLOUT PROCEDURE
(a)The Watch Commander shall make a request via dispatch for qualified UAS team
members to respond and deploy the UAS.
(a)Dispatch will call the UAS Team Supervisor who will coordinate the callout
details with team members.
(b)If the UAS Team Supervisor is unavailable, or if specified by the Watch
Commander, Dispatch will request assistance from Fremont Fire Department
via ACRECC.
(b)The UAS team members will handle all UAS operations, notifications and all necessary
pre-flight guidelines as specified in the UAS Operations Guidelines.
614.5 PROHIBITED USE
The UAS video surveillance equipment shall not be used:
•To conduct random surveillance activities.
•To target a person based solely on actual or perceived characteristics, such as
race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or
expression, economic status, age, cultural group, or disability.
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•To harass, intimidate, or discriminate against any individual or group.
•To conduct personal business of any type.
The UAS shall not be weaponized.
614.6 EVIDENCE COLLECTION AND RETENTION
Evidence collection, video recording and digital photographs
(a)To avoid missing critical evidence during UAS operations, all UAS video will be
recorded during flight. The pilot will manually activate the record feature on the UAS
before take-off and will stop recording after landing. Flights being flown for the purpose
of evidence collection utilizing specialized software to capture the evidence are not
required to also video record during