News, deep dives, and analysis — every California story, newest first.
Santa Ana PD's Eagle 1 drone found a stolen work truck minutes after patrol lost it, watched two suspects load stolen tools, and guided officers straight to them — the first felony arrests of the $682,900 DFR program a divided council approved 4-3 in February.
Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and police will host a free public demonstration of the city's new Drone as First Responder program on August 1, with privacy and oversight questions still following its 4-3 approval.
California says its AI-enabled ALERTCalifornia cameras have flagged more than 900 fires before any 911 call, while FireSat satellites and drone programs deepen the state’s wildfire tech stack.
A Placer County Sheriff's drone searched inside a barn full of hay bales, located a domestic violence suspect wedged into the stack, and ended the standoff without deputies climbing blindly into a dangerous hiding place.
Palm Springs police used DJI thermal drones and Dock 3 launch stations to track a teen rider from above without triggering a dangerous street pursuit, turning a baited chase into a quiet arrest directed entirely from the air.
An 18-year-old whitewater kayak guide from Grass Valley is building Winter, an autonomous drone that pairs thermal search with defibrillator and water delivery, after losing a friend in a kayaking accident.
Several San Diego County cities are putting police drones in the air this Fourth of July weekend to enforce a fireworks ban and catch the people who ignore it. Oceanside, Escondido, and Carlsbad updated their ordinances this year to pair steep fines with drone-and-ground patrols, following California cities like Chino and San Bernardino that tried…
Santa Maria’s police department is getting its drone-as-first-responder program off the ground with money raised at a charity gala, not a line in the city budget. The Santa Maria Police Council, a nonprofit booster group, pulled in about $95,000 at its annual fundraiser and is handing the department a $97,869 donation to buy the aircraft.…
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