SFPD proposed DGO 10.12 drone policy (2026)

PROPOSED, not adopted. Police Commission notice (Sept. 3, 2026, Secretary Sgt. Stacy Youngblood): SFPD put forward DGO 10.12 at the Sept. 2, 2026 meeting; Commission delayed voting; public comment by email Sept. 4-20, 2026; comments go to SFPD Policy Development Division; scheduled for the Oct. 14, 2026 Commission meeting. Draft text marked PROPOSED (as attached to that notice): states SFPD is 'mandated to use UAS technology under SF Administrative Code § 96I.2(e) and shall not be subject to the requirements of SF Administrative Code, Chapter 19B' (the surveillance technology ordinance); 10.12.04(B) authorizes UAVs 'in any situation in which a member may be deployed for a public safety response or when a member onviews criminal activity'; 10.12.04(C) prohibits use for harassment/discrimination, monitoring based on protected classes, solely monitoring First Amendment activity, personal business, unsafe/FAA-violating operation, as a force option, and 'general surveillance' (defined as sweeping, non-targeted observation with no stated purpose); retention: recordings relevant to criminal/civil/administrative matters at least 2 years; 'public footage' (no evidentiary value) not beyond 30 calendar days (citing Admin Code § 96I.2(e)); sharing with partner agencies per law, court orders and MOUs; annual reporting under Cal. Gov. Code § 7072. Secondary: SF Standard (2026-09-03) reports Commissioner Kevin Benedicto sought the delay and ACLU/Public Defender objections; EFF (2026-09-28) says SFPD revised the draft after pushback but the 'public safety response' trigger remains undefined, and cites roughly 350 deployments in 2024, over 1,100 Jan-Aug 2025, and over 3,500 in the first five months of 2026. The text summarized here is the draft attached to the Sept. 3 notice; a revised draft may be what the Commission hears Oct. 14. Related existing entries: SFPD Unmanned Aircraft System (Drone) Program authorized under…, sf-ord-219-22-prop-e-police-surveillance.