Oakland Police Receives $80K In Private Donations To Launch Patrol Drone Program
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – The Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council and California Waste Solutions has donated $80,000 to the Oakland Police Department to buy a tool that many law enforcement agencies already own. A drone, or in police parlance, an unmanned aerial vehicle.
"I spoke very clearly that we need help from the community to address crime, that the police department couldn't do it alone, and today, our community has stepped up for us," Chief LeRonne Armstrong at a news conference Monday afternoon.
There will be three new drones in all, one smaller one and two beefier models, that cost $40,000 each and feature a thermal camera, spotlight, and public address speaker system. The drones have no facial recognition capability, and by policy, video will only be retained for five days, unless part of a criminal investigation.
Armstrong said after a four-year effort, the use of UAV's has finally been approved by both the City Council and the Oakland Privacy Commission.
"This is a step forward, I actually think, for Oakland, because probably a couple of years ago, no one would imagine that you would get drones in the city of Oakland," he said. "I think they came to an agreement that the Privacy Commission was open to us purchasing drones, but we couldn't use city funds in order to do it."
Chinatown businesses that have been reeling from violent crime in the past year began contributing as part of an overall effort to improve the area's image and bring customers back.
"But all of that will mean less if our community is not protected," said Stewart Chen, president of the Chinatown Improvement Council. "That's why the OPD is an important component. We need them to continue to provide services that they currently provide."
The family that operates the city's recycling service joined the effort as well.
"I said, let's jump on it!" said David Duong, CEO of California Waste Solutions. "And this is something that we want to do, just to help our community."
Armstrong said it's possible the drones could be used to crack down on illegal sideshows, but the current policy does not allow their use in protest situations.
For years, Oakland police have had to request help from the Alameda County Sheriff's drone team. Now they will have their own eye in the sky, in a city that promises to keep a watchful eye on how the technology is being used.
