\
THE San Francisco Police Department has revealed a futuristic fleet of drones that play a major role in hunting down criminals.
The cutting-edge tech also serves as a lifeline for a department grappling with staffing shortages.
Voters paved the way for the use of high-flying robocops in March after voting yes on Proposition E.
3
The legislature allows the department to use an array of strategies including drones and surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition.
The department showcased dramatic drone shots including car pursuits and fiery explosions in a video uploaded to social media Tuesday.
“For the first time in our history, the San Francisco Police Department has drones,” Police Chief William Scott said in a clip posted to X, formerly Twitter.
“This means our hardworking officers finally have air support after almost two decades without it.”
Traditional air support comes in the form of helicopters piloted by humans.
But the department hasn’t relied on this strategy for over two decades after two officers died in a 2000 crash.
Scott says the drones help officers gather information on suspects without putting themselves in harm’s way.
The high-end tech even has an edge over human investigators.
“We can now be more precise, gain better intelligence, and respond to crimes faster and more effectively,” Scott explained.
And they have already delivered results.
On May 30, officers identified a “violent attempted kidnapping and sexual assault suspect” and pinpointed his location using the technology.
The drones were also used in a high-stakes incident that saw suspects detonating fireworks at an intersection on July 4.
“Our drones helped identify the threats while our mobile field force and tactical units developed a plan and dispersed the crowd before things got worse,” Scott said.
3
The technology also aided in apprehending two burglary suspects after they were spotted breaking into cars on July 26.
The drones trailed the suspects and pinpointed their location, leading to their arrest.
The devices were used in the same manner to dismantle an auto burglary crew the very next day.
As San Francisco police embrace the new technology, the city itself is struggling to bounce back from a scarred public image.
3
Despite seeing decade-low crime rates last year, San Fran has been painted as a doom-stricken haven for criminals in the media.
This year alone, it has seen a 42% reduction in larceny, including car break-ins and retail theft year over year.
In a statement posted to X, Scott wrote that the drones were only fitting for the “technology capital of the world.”
The police force has been using just six drones so far, though they plan to expand the fleet in months to come.
As numbers grow, more officers will be trained as certified drone pilots.
The department is also looking into ways to integrate the high-flying technology with citywide automated license readers and security cameras.
“Our work is far from over,” Scott wrote.
What is retail crime?
Retail theft has become a major issue for shops and customers in recent years as crime rates have soared.
Several CEOs have blamed organized retail crime for their use of unpopular anti-theft measures like locking items and receipt checks.
ORC is the large-scale theft of goods in stores with the intent of reselling them.
These operations could involve multiple people working together to steal or large quantities of high value items being taken while attempting to evade in-store security.
Retailers have reported a rise in shrink, which is the industry term for goods lost through theft or misplacement.
A 2023 National Retail Security Survey by the National Retail Federation showed that shrink increased to 1.6%.
The survey also revealed that ORC increased from 70.7% in 2022 to 78.15 in 2023.
Retailers have also shared their worries about threats of violence against staff that have been associated with retail theft.
Several industry leaders have shared their concerns about these worrying levels of crime.
Target’s CEO last year said the chain would close multiple stores due to the threat of “theft and organized retail crime” to employees and “business performance.”
A former Toys “R” Us CEO claimed some stores were “afraid” to stop thieves” and said changing attitudes toward theft had impacted stores.
