Commission Delays Drone Policy After Civil Liberties Outcry and Data Breach Concerns

The San Francisco Police Commission pumped the brakes on its first formal drone operations policy Sept. 2, deferring a vote on DGO 10.12 to Oct. 14 after more than a dozen public speakers, a coalition letter from the Public Defender and 15 organizations, and a Wired magazine exposé of leaked SFPD drone footage combined to make the case that the policy isn't ready. The marathon session also surfaced a Southern Station staffing crisis weeks before a major boundary expansion, persistent commissioner pressure on Chief Lew to hold a trans community town hall, and a 29% spike in civilian complaints against officers.

• Drone policy deferred to Oct. 14 after overwhelming public opposition citing data breaches, First Amendment concerns, and ICE data-access risks

• Southern Station faces net loss of three officers just 29 days before absorbing all of Market Street and 31,000 additional calls

• Commissioners press Chief Lew to schedule a trans community town hall on Pride weekend police actions despite ongoing prosecutions

• Citywide crime down 18%, but Southern District homicides jumped from 0 to 5 year-to-date

• Body camera violations persist as a top-three complaint since 2018; commissioners push for automated activation technology

• SFPD hires implementation scientist Dr. Carolyn Coles to bring evidence-based policy evaluation to the department

The commission's attempt to adopt DGO 10.12 — the department's first formal policy governing unmanned aircraft systems since voters passed Prop E in 2024 — ran into a wall of organized opposition that stretched the hearing past the two-hour mark.