Airborne drones were the topic of the night at the Sept. 20 meeting of the Redondo Beach City Council, as council, staff and the Redondo Beach Police Chief discussed privacy, city policy, and potential police uses for unmanned aircraft.
At discussion’s end, the City Attorney’s office was directed to bring back a resolution that authorizes RBPD to use drones in compliance with state law and addresses privacy worries that the City Council brought forward.
“If you haven’t seen demonstrations of drones used for public safety, it’s wild how they can help,” said District 3 Councilman Christian Horvath. “But it’s another technology that’s growing and changing, and it’s hard to assume what’s going to happen next.”
The item was agendized in keeping with the City’s Strategic Plan, which noted the increasing popularity of unmanned aircraft systems among commercial businesses, public agencies and tech hobbyists.
The purpose of bringing the potential ordinance forward, according to staff reports, was twofold. First, to create a framework protecting Redondo Beach residents from having their privacy invaded by drones; second, to allow law enforcement to use drones when appropriate.
“Things we like to do in law enforcement, especially when dealing with large groups of people, is to not immediately show the physical presence of an officer, which invites protests or a fight,” said RBPD Chief Keith Kauffman.
Using drones, he said, allows for police to gain situational awareness from afar without making the public uncomfortable with uniformed presence. Plus, drones can be placed in more dangerous situations for reconnoissance than an officer could reasonably be placed in.
Council members seemed more than happy to grant police officers the use of drones, with all agreeing to allow police to use them within the parameters of the law — which, as City Attorney Michael Webb reminded, requires warrants for most criminal situations that are not an immediate threat to public safety.
The council’s key concern was public safety and privacy. Mayor Steve Aspel recalled a visit to Catalina Island over the summer.
“I was at a condo pretty far from the ocean when a drone took off from by the pool,” he said, noticing the pilot was controlling the drone with a drink in his off-hand. When the drone came back, Aspel asked where he sent it off to.
“‘Green pier, over in Avalon, just buzzing around looking at people,’” Aspel repeated. “If hit the wrong button, he really could have hurt someone.”
The worry he had was “going draconian” with an ordinance, impressing stiff regulations such as Hermosa Beach’s rule keeping drones at least 25 feet away from any non-operating person, and requiring all drone operators to have a city-issued permit before flying.
Assistant City Attorney Jillian Martins referred to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107, which, among other things, loosened restrictions against drones. Part 107 restricts public drones from weighing more than 55 pounds, from leaving the pilot’s visual line-of-sight and may not fly higher than 400 feet above ground level.
“We don’t want to be on the bleeding edge of regulation,” said Councilman Bill Brand. “We’re going to have litigation if we go too far.”
Webb noted that the State of California has strong laws that protect public privacy in place, and that Redondo could use those as a basis for their own ordinance.
Resident Nils Nehrenheim made sure to clarify to the council that there is a difference between commercial use and residential, private use, and that regulations on drones could adversely impact their use in film and TV projects around Redondo Beach.
“You can’t legislate based on ‘what-ifs’ and what could or might happen,” he said.
The Redondo Beach Police Department will present a demonstration of public safety drone use at the Police Open House and Public Safety Fair, on Oct. 2, inviting the public to offer feedback on drone use.
