SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A poll of San Francisco residents found that a large majority supported police access to drones and real-time technology, SFGate reported.
The poll found that 72% of respondents supported police use of drones and live cameras in active investigations, compared with 25% who opposed their use. The response comes two years after the city enacted a voter referendum to allow the police department to use the technology.
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The city was formerly under strict regulations regarding police technology, due to a 2019 law that restricted the use of drones and surveillance cameras, SFGate reported. In 2024, voters passed Proposition E in a narrow 54% - 46% vote.
Prop E’s passage allowed the San Francisco Police Department to purchase and use drones, which it has called a “game-changer.”
The poll also found that 68% of voters supported using drones to monitor high drug use areas and 64% supported live camera feeds monitoring certain open-air drug markets, SFGate reported.
The survey had a sample size of 662 likely voters and was conducted by GrowSF, an advocacy and political pressure group.
