Concord PD is considering a surveillance drone program. Come learn about the harm drone policing has on communities in our virtual webinar.

Please join Concord Communities Alliance, the ACLU of Northern California, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation to learn about the harm Drones have had on BIPOC communities, and overall violations to civil liberties. The City of Concord will be hearing a proposal from Concord Police Department to implement a formal drone program on Tuesday, October 12th. We want to prepare the community with an info session/call to action and discuss what can be done to prevent harmful militarized police policies in Concord. 

We are demanding basic transparency from the Concord PD on their drone program proposal and use policy. As presented to us, the use policy (viewable here), is void of a police oversight committee or commission, budget expenditures, tools to measure success, data tracking to provide evidence the program is working as intended and reporting tools to be used, and procedures and protocols. 

We want to prepare the community with this info session and discuss what can be done to prevent harmful militarized police policies in Concord.

Spanish/English translation is available.

If you’re not able to join us, please review CPD’s use policy and lift our concerns:

• We want the community to be able to review and provide feedback on surveillance proposals and expenditures, including a draft usage policy weeks (not days) before these proposals are discussed in City Council.  
• On top of a police oversight committee, Concord should adopt a Community Control Over Police (CCOPS) Surveillance Ordinance that promotes transparency, the public’s welfare, civil rights, and civil liberties  
• Instead of spending taxpayer funds on a surveillance tool, drone program, that has no evidence to prove it prevents crime, invest in programs that actually increase health and safety of Concord residents by funding youth programs, invest in more tenant and businesses who need rent support to prevent evictions, and coordinated housing assistance for seniors and the unhoused. 
• Drones will discourage people from engaging in protests and other first amendment rights. Police informed us recently that they borrowed a drone from another jurisdiction and dispatched a drone to monitor Concordians gathered in Todos Santos Plaza after the death of George Floyd.  
• Police frequently turn surveillance technologies against people of color, immigrants, and vulnerable populations. This technology can criminalize entire neighborhoods by using heat maps and facial recognition, storing images of people, and helping to identify residents.  Using drones to increase the police presence in our communities raises the likelihood that residents will have unnecessary contact with police and that routinely leads to police violence against Black and brown people.  

CPD’s use policy is the worst general template from Lexipol.
More information available at
 ACLU Template Example from Lexipol

More information on drones and surveillance tools
 CLICK HERE FOR ACLU GUIDE

Please join us tomorrow friday at 5PM to learn more and take action on Tuesday, October 12th.