Lompoc City Council members approved a deal for the Lompoc Police Department to buy and operate drones as first responders on calls. Officials hope deploying the drones will improve public safety and the department’s efficiency.
At the Dec. 16 meeting, council members voted 5-0 for a two-year pilot period, which will cost $100,000 per year. With that budget, the Police Department will buy two Flock Aerodome systems from the company Flock Safety for the Drone First Responder (DFR) program. In addition, one community service officer position specializing in operating the drones will be added to the department’s budget.
“This is enhancing our ability to provide the service we needed to provide to the community but not take the officers off the street,” Lompoc Police Chief Kevin Martin said at the meeting.
Drones aren’t meant to replace police officers. They’re intended to give extra support to a department that is well below the national average of officers per capita. If Lompoc’s budget supported the country’s average of 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents, the city would have 106 funded positions compared to the current 50, according to the staff report.
For the first year and a half, the cost of the specialized officer and the DFR program will be covered by previous grant funds, according to the staff report. The last six months of the program will fall in the 2027-28 fiscal year, and money will be taken from the general fund.
When an officer remotely launches a drone, it can arrive to a scene from its centralized base within 86 seconds, according to Brett Kanda, a senior solutions specialist for Flock’s DFR program. Officers can watch the drone’s video feed on cellphones and on screens in their squad cars. Historically, Lompoc officers had to arrive at the scene before launching a drone.
The Flock Aerodomes will respond to stolen vehicle calls and incidents where the suspect has fled or barricaded themselves inside a building. They’ll also fly over the city’s large parades and events to monitor activity.
Councilmember Jeremy Ball brought up privacy issues for community members in the drone’s flight path. Lompoc residents expressed similar concerns, questioning whether the cameras will be used to spy on residents or make cases against people in court.
While a drone is flying to the scene, by default the cameras are pointed toward the horizon, not at the ground, Kanda responded. Video retention will be dictated by the policy that the Lompoc Police Department creates.
“What we do not want is the camera pointed at the ground as it’s transiting to the call for service,” Kanda added. “That camera will be pointed up at the horizon to ensure it is not looking in anybody’s backyard invading anybody’s privacy.”
The Police Department already contracts with Flock Safety for other resources including cameras that read license plates. Since Flock infrastructure already exists in Lompoc, it’ll be easier to incorporate the hardware and software for the two Flock Aerodome systems.
Other police departments in the country are using Flock Aerodomes as first responders, too. In California for example, the Hawthorne Police Department has used them on 827 calls, leading to 286 subjects located, according to the staff report.
The city of Lompoc’s website will add a community information portal for DFR calls. Users can see the drones’ flight paths, what type of incidents they flew to, and which agency responded, Kanda explained. The dashboard should be available after Flock trains the department and the first mission is completed.
While documents and contracts are still being signed, the delivery date of the drones isn’t yet known.
This article appears in Dec 25, 2025 – Jan 1, 2026.