PHOENIX — At the National Real Time Crime Center Association (NRTCCA) conference, San Francisco Police Department leaders explained how the department is using drones to support investigations, tactical operations, emergency response and pursuit mitigation.
The presentation was delivered by Capt. Stephen Jonas and Lt. Scott Ryan of SFPD’s RTIC and Phoenix Unit; Sgt. Matthew Sullivan of the Phoenix Unit; and Sgt. Amir Mahmoud of the RTIC.
For much of the past 25 years, SFPD has relied on regional partners — including the California Highway Patrol, Oakland Police Department and San Mateo County — when it needed aerial support, presenters said. The department previously operated helicopter units, but fatal crashes ended those efforts.
That meant SFPD depended on the availability and priorities of outside agencies when it needed an aircraft.
In 2024, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which expanded SFPD’s authority to use technology, including drones, in support of public safety and criminal investigations. SFPD leaders said the measure helped accelerate a program that now includes drone response, mobile drone deployment, tactical support and counter-uncrewed aircraft system operations.
Building the program around the RTIC
SFPD’s drone operations are closely tied to its Real Time Investigation Center, or RTIC.
The department initially built its real-time center in an unused courtroom at the Hall of Justice, using computers and monitors reallocated from elsewhere in the building. There was no dedicated budget for the project at the outset, he said.
The original space also illustrated the challenges of supporting a growing operation from an aging building. The presenters described an incident in which a coffee maker tripped a circuit breaker while two drones were supporting an active shooting. The outage left the room without power for about 20 minutes.
The department initially operated drones from a location near Fisherman’s Wharf, where it was seeking to address auto burglaries. But SFPD leaders said they soon concluded that pilots needed to work inside the RTIC, alongside staff handling communications, investigative information and other technology.
The department later received philanthropic support from the San Francisco Police Community Foundation to relocate and upgrade the RTIC.
A mix of docked, mobile and tactical drones
SFPD said it now has 103 operational drones citywide, about 70 FAA Part 107-qualified pilots and 10 DFR launch locations. The fleet includes dock-based systems, smaller tactical drones and six mobile-drone capabilities, according to the presentation.
The mobile deployment model allows a team to position a drone in the field while pilots at the RTIC operate it remotely. SFPD said that approach has been used to support plainclothes teams, tactical operations and search warrants outside the city.
Presenters said the department uses both Skydio and Aerodome systems, with deployment decisions based on factors such as terrain, building density and connectivity.
SFPD also said battalion chiefs can access drone video feeds during fire incidents and communicate directly with RTIC personnel and drone pilots. Presenters described drone support for fire incidents, water rescues and cliff rescues.
According to figures presented during the session, SFPD drones had responded to more than 4,000 incidents as of August, assisted in more than 1,500 cases and been associated with video evidence in 655 arrests. The department also reported drone support for 40 SWAT search warrants, more than 70 pursuit-mitigation incidents and 50 fire or rescue responses.
Connecting information to field response
SFPD leaders described drones as one component of a larger response model that combines RTIC personnel, ALPR alerts, field units and centralized pilots.
In one presentation example, officers were tracking a vehicle connected to an alleged domestic violence incident in a neighboring county. After the driver fled on foot, presenters said a mobile drone helped officers maintain visual contact while they established containment through backyards and alleys. The incident also led the department to refine radio communications so drone pilots could more efficiently share what they were seeing with officers on the ground.
Presenters also described drone support during tactical operations, including a jewelry-store robbery investigation and a catalytic-converter fencing case. In those examples, they said drone video helped officers monitor suspects, preserve awareness of discarded evidence and locate a suspect hiding in trees using infrared imagery.
One example focused on the connection between the RTIC, automated license plate readers and DFR operations.
At about 9:16 a.m, on August 4, SFPD received a report of a stolen gray Mercedes S500. The victim did not know the license plate number, presenters said.
An RTIC operator reviewed the call information and searched Flock Safety ALPR data in the area, identifying what SFPD believed was the correct vehicle and adding the plate to a hot list. At approximately 9:28 a.m., the RTIC received an alert that the vehicle had been detected.
A drone launched, located the vehicle and relayed information to officers on the ground. Presenters said the driver was taken into custody within about 16 minutes of the original dispatch.
SFPD also described using drones to help identify the operators of unauthorized drones during major events and temporary flight restrictions. During five days of Super Bowl-related events in February, the department worked with the FAA, FBI, Federal Air Marshals and U.S. Coast Guard. According to SFPD, the operation recorded 121 drone detections, 102 dispatches and 77 successful contacts with operators.
SFPD leaders said they are interested in fixed-wing unmanned aircraft that could provide greater range and speed, particularly for freeway pursuits and operations extending beyond the city.
For now, presenters emphasized that the drone is one part of the operating model. Its usefulness depends on the staffing, communications, intelligence support and field workflow around it.
