West Hollywood gears up to use drones in policing later this summer

West Hollywood will allow law enforcement to deploy drones as first responders under a new pilot program. As part of an update to the City Council on Monday night, officials say the program will launch by the end of July.

Under the program, the drones will be sent out ahead of law enforcement officers and will be used to gather information, including whether a suspect is on the move, changes clothes, and other details that could aid in an investigation.

West Hollywood, which does not have its own police department and contracts with the L.A County Sheriff’s Department for police services, is the first and only city so far to contract with the county to use drones as first responders.

The Los Angeles Police Department launched their own program in the city of L.A. in 2025.

The backstory and timeline  

• In February 2023, the West Hollywood City Council directed staff to explore a partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the development of an “advanced public safety technology” pilot program.

• In August 2023, the council and the city’s Public Safety Commission held a joint meeting where they reviewed different public safety technology options, including the potential use of drones as first responders.

• In July 2024, the council greenlit drone use for policing as a part of a $750,000, one-year pilot program, among other safety items aimed at faster response times and real-time crime detection.

• In June 2025, the council received an update from city staff regarding the need to pause the pilot program due to conflicts with L.A. County’s drone policy. The primary point of contention was that the city’s approved plan required West Hollywood personnel to record all missions, which contradicted the sheriff department’s existing policy. Council directed city staff to comply with the department’s current policy while awaiting policy revisions.

• In April 2026, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department updated its drone policy to make exceptions for West Hollywood, including new recording procedures.

Now, West Hollywood is set to move ahead with its pilot program, which will launch at the end of July.

How the program will work

Under the latest approved policy, the drones will only respond to calls of service, where police presence is requested from a caller.

The drone will not record when flying to and from said location, but instead record from when it arrives to when it leaves, similar to body-worn cameras, according to Captain Fanny Lapkin of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station.

The program will also have a public-facing dashboard where the public can see information including the number of calls for service and types of calls the drones responded to.

What the community says

Stephen Post, a resident and member of West Hollywood’s Public Safety Commission, spoke during public comment on Monday.

Post said he was concerned about the program’s use of data.

“In multiple cities, we have seen improper access and use of this data,” Post said. “In this moment of heightened ICE and DHS enforcement, we should not be a city leading the push for creating the digital infrastructure that an authoritarian leader could use to harm our communities.”

Steve Martin, member of the Eastside Neighborhood Watch, expressed support for the program during the meeting.

“As a person who does go out and exercises my first amendment rights freely, in some ways I would welcome having sheriff surveillance,” Martin said. “I think that we need to look at evaluating this as it goes and seeing how we can get the best possible benefit from it because I think we’re all just looking to make West Hollywood safer.”

How to keep tabs on the West Hollywood City Council

The West Hollywood City Council meets on scheduled Mondays. Meetings start at 6 p.m.
Here’s how you can follow along:

• Attend in person: The board meets at Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
• Watch the live broadcast
• Here’s how to submit a comment or contact the council