DATE: January 25, 2022
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Manager
Chief of Police
SUBJECT
Title
Unmanned Aerial Systems Program: Adopt a Resolution and Policy Statement Regarding the Use of Surveillance Technologies and an Operational Policy for the Hayward Police Department’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Program
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the Council adopts a resolution and policy statement regarding the use of surveillance technologies (Attachment II) and an operational manual for implementation of an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Program for the Hayward Police Department (HPD) (Attachment III).
End
SUMMARY
On July 13, 2021, the Council adopted a resolution authorizing the purchase of UAS for HPD conditioned upon review of an operational policy for the use of UAS by the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) and the Council Infrastructure Committee (CIC), and ultimately, the Council, for approval, prior to HPD deployment of UAS.
Consistent with Council direction, the purpose of this staff report is to present information to the Council regarding the proposed resolution and statement of overarching principles and commitments to the community regarding UAS. The proposed Council resolution and policy statement highlight the Council’s commitment to balancing the use of surveillance technologies with the privacy and civil rights of community members. It also authorizes the City Manager to issue administrative regulations, including but not limited to purchasing policies and data retention, storage, and access policies, which would apply to all City UAS operations.
This staff report is also intended to present information to the Council regarding HPD’s proposed Operations Manual for the UAS Program (Attachment III). The UAS Program Operations Manual is an internal document designed to provide guidance for the management and operation of the HPD’s UAS Program. It incorporates portions of the HPD’s Policy 610 (Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations) (Attachment IV) and provides guidance on the UAS Program administration, safety, training, operating procedures, and pre and post flight actions. The UAS Program Operations Manual is a living document, which will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure best practices are adhered to and to ensure alignment with Council’s resolution and policy statement as well as other local, regional, state, and federal laws or policies.
The UAS Program Operations Manual was reviewed by the CAP and discussed during a virtual meeting, which was held on October 11, 2021. While no specific changes were recommended for the UAS Program Operations Manual, there was discussion of previously identified issues regarding the use of surveillance technologies, including UAS, which are presented later in this staff report.
Additionally, on December 1, 2021, staff presented the proposed Council resolution and policy statement regarding the use of surveillance technologies as well as the UAS Program Operations Manual to the CIC. The CIC recommended some changes to the UAS Program Operations Manual, which are discussed in the staff report. Ultimately, the CIC voted to recommend approval by Council of these documents with the specified changes.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II Resolution and Policy Statement
Attachment III HPD UAS Operations Manual
Attachment IV Policy 610 - UAS Operations