SF Drones under scrutiny

Yeah, hey Mike, we are seeing a proliferation of drones and cameras like this one here throughout San Francisco since voters here in the city approved Proposition E in 2024. Since then, San Francisco has deployed an array of new technologies to track down criminals, but some are worried that the program is infringing on privacy. San Francisco police are increasingly using and touting the successes of new technologies, including a network of license plate reading cameras, surveillance cameras, and drones for driving down crime 25 percent last year. 2026, year to date, crime is down an additional 20 percent. And the drones have a lot to do with that. The drones have a huge aspect to bringing down the crimes. Privacy advocates continue to warn about the potential for abuse and raise questions about what happens to the data after it's collected. Recently, Wired Magazine wrote about a link to hours of footage captured by drones. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said the issue highlights one of the concerns about how that data are collected and stored. One thing we've seen is that they're collecting so much drone footage that they can't even keep it safe, that it is, you know, accessible to the web in a way that jeopardizes the privacy of San Franciscans. For its part, San Francisco police say once they discovered the breach, they quickly severed the link and say they have programs in place to make sure data captured by the cameras is safeguarded. The department said safety versus security is a false dichotomy, that they can leverage these new technologies and respect the rights of people in the city. With powerful technology comes great responsibility. The SFPD is leading the country in the usage of drones, and in that we're being as responsible with very strong guardrails in place. Privacy advocates say crime may be down, but it may have more to do with broader societal trends than San Francisco's adoption of these new technologies. They said they'd prefer to see the city invest in proven, long-term methods for bringing down crime, like improving schools and more employment options. Getting footage of crime constantly does not equate to building sustainable safety for all people. And San Francisco will probably learn that the next time there is a crime wave, because that's what happens, crime ebbs and flows, including in cities, as I said, that don't have massive drone programs. At this point, there are no indications that the use of these new technologies will be slowing anytime soon, Mike. The latest data show that the city is launching drones about 700 times per month. Mike, that's about three times as many launches as they did in the same period last year. So clearly, no signs that this program is gonna be slowing down anytime soon. San Francisco police saying this has been a very successful program, especially in targeting prolific criminals. They say that it's a tool that if there's one person who's been committing an outsized number of crimes, they can target that individual, take them out, and that's where we see that reduction. I mean, 700 times a month, that's a huge number. I mean, is there an actual drone pilot unit within the police department? I mean, how many officers do they have that are flying the drones down? Yeah, so remember the city has that whole Arctic team that is working to launch these drones, and they're up, and they're going out, and it's not just crime prevention. One of the points that San Francisco police made today in our discussions was that drone as first responders program. Remember that tragedy we saw with the sinking of the vessel last week, the sinking of the ship last week? The first responder out there was a drone from San Francisco. They were able to get a drone out over the scene, keep an eye on the debris field, keep an eye on those who were floating in the water, and try to direct first responders to how to get to them. So they're pointing to all these uses as added on benefits, not just for simple crime protection or prevention, rather, but as a tool that they can use overall throughout the city as first responders. Got it. A lot of eyes in the sky protecting residents, protecting the officers. Christian, always appreciate it. Thank you.