Policy Text
Page 1 of 5 26/10 (NEW 4/18)
Unmanned Aerial Systems
The purpose of this policy is to p romote the safe, efficient an d lawful operation of the
Sacramento Sheriff’s Departmen t Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Safety, above all
else, is the primary concern in every operation, regardless of the nature of the mission.
This policy also suggests gui delines for the use, management, s torage and retrieval of
media recorded by Unm anned Aerial Systems.
I. General
It shall be the mission of those personnel of the Sacramento Sh eriff’s
Department, trained in the use of the UAS, to use this resource to protect the
lives and property of Sacramento County citizens and first resp onders. This
shall be done in full compliance wi th applicable laws and regul ations, including
but not limited to, State and F ederal Constitution and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) regulations.
II. Privacy
UAS Supervisors, operat ors and observers wil l consider the prot ection of
individual civil right s and the reasonable ex pectation of priva cy as a key
component of any decision made to deploy the UAS. Each UAS ope rator and
observer will ensure that operati ons of the UAS are consistent with local, state,
and federal law.
III. Program Coordinator
A. The Sheriff or his/her design ee will appoint a Program Coord inator who
will be responsible for the managem ent of the UAS program. The
Program Coordinator wil l ensure that polic ies and procedures co nform to
current laws, regulations and bes t practices and will have the following
additional responsibilities:
1. Coordinating the FAA Certific ate of Waiver or Authorization (COA)
application process and ensuri ng that the COA is current.
2. Ensuring that all authoriz ed operators and required observe rs have
completed all required FAA and department-approved training in
the operation, applicable laws, policies and procedures regardi ng
use of the UAS.
Page 2 of 5 26/10 (NEW 4/18) 3. Developing uniform protocol fo r submission and evaluation o f requests to
deploy a UAS, including urgen t requests made during ongoing or
emerging incidents. Deployment o f a UAS may require review by t he
Program Coordinator o r the authorized des ignee, depending on th e type
of mission.
4. Developing protocol for conduc ting criminal investigations involving a
UAS, including documentation of ti me spent monitoring a subject .
5. Implementing a syst em for public notific ation of UAS deploy ment.
6. Developing an operational pro tocol governing the deployment and
operation of a UAS including, but not limited to, safety oversi ght, use of
visual observers, establishmen t of lost link procedures and com munication
with air traffic control facilities.
7. Developing a protocol for fully documenting all missions.
8. Developing a UAS inspecti on, maintenance and record-keeping protocol
to ensure continuing airworthi ness of a UAS, up to and includin g its
overhaul or life limits.
9. Developing protocols to ens ure that all data intended to be used as
evidence are accessed, maintained , stored and retrieved in a ma nner that
ensures its integrity as evidenc e, including strict adherence t o chain of
custody requirements. Electronic trails, including encryption, authenticity
certificates and date and time sta mping, shall be used as appro priate to
preserve individual rights and to ensure the authenticity and m aintenance
of a secure evidentiary chain of custody.
10. Developing protocols that ensure retention and purge perio ds are
maintained in accordance with es tablished records retention sch edules.
11. Facilitating law enforcem ent access to images and data cap tured by the
UAS.
12. Recommending program enhancem ents, particularly regarding safety and
information security.
13. Ensuring that established pr otocols are followed by monito ring and
providing periodic reports to the Program Coordinator.
Page 3 of 5 26/10 (NEW 4/18) IV. Use of UAS
A. Only authorized operat ors who have completed the required tr aining
shall be permitted to operate t he UAS during approved missions.
B. For all pre-planned operations, where the use of a UAS would provide
assistance to an operation, t he request shall be made through t he
Program Coordinator or authorized designee.
C. The Program Coordinator, Tac tical Commander, Incident Comman der,
Watch Commander or Supervisor c an authorize deployment of a UAS
during an emerging or ongoing incident.
D. UAS deployment will be consider ed when an aerial view would assist
officers or incident commanders during the following occurrence s:
1. Accident Investigations 2. Missing Persons Investigations
3. Search and Rescue Operations
4. Drug Investigations
5. In response to specific requests from local, state or federa l law
enforcement authorities
6. In response to specific requests from local, state or federa l fire
authorities for fire res ponse and/or prevention
7. Disaster Management
8. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) missions
9. CBRNE Incident (chemical, biolo gical, radiological, nuclear, and
explosives)
10. Crime Scene preserva tion and documentation