Riverside, California, has accepted a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant to support a planned Drone-as-a-First-Responder program and the expansion of the Police Department’s Real-Time Information Center. The city’s council approved acceptance of the grant on its consent calendar on October 20, but the drone purchases and related projects will require additional council approval before they can proceed.
Six drones planned across three locations
The proposal calls for six drones stationed at three Riverside locations. Police say the aircraft would provide live aerial information during emergencies involving missing people, traffic incidents, violent crimes, property crimes, natural disasters and other incidents requiring a public safety response. The department has not described the program as replacing all conventional responses; the stated purpose is to give officers and other public safety agencies information from above while an incident is unfolding.
The proposed aircraft would connect to Riverside’s existing Real-Time Information Center. That operation combines feeds from public safety cameras and other authorized technologies, giving personnel a centralized view of information used during responses. The department also plans to use part of the federal grant to establish a dedicated workspace for the center at the Lincoln Avenue police station.
According to the city staff report, the projects are intended to improve coordination among public safety agencies and help protect officers and residents during emergency operations. The range of incidents listed by police places the proposed program within the broader development of drone-as-first-responder systems, in which an unmanned aircraft can provide an initial aerial view before or alongside the arrival of ground personnel.
Existing information center would support the program
Riverside’s council approved the information center in July 2024, when it was originally described as the Real-Time Crime Center. The council also authorized the purchase of FususONE software from Axon Enterprise Inc. Authorized personnel currently use the software at multiple locations within the Police Department. The planned drones would therefore be added to an existing information and coordination operation rather than introduced as an entirely separate system.
Police Detective Steven Espinosa said the center is not a data center and that access is limited to authorized personnel. He also said the department expects artificial intelligence to play only a minimal role in the drone program and information center, while acknowledging that the specific use of AI has not been decided.
“The use of AI is still TBD.”
Espinosa’s statement leaves the department’s potential AI applications undefined. The grant-backed proposal is still at an early implementation stage: Riverside has accepted the funding, but the equipment purchases and projects remain subject to further council action. No deployment date was provided in the reported council materials.
Privacy rules cited by Riverside police
Residents asked how the city would protect privacy as the drone and information-center projects move forward. Espinosa said the initiatives would comply with state law and with rules governing the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, which permits authorized agencies to exchange law enforcement information. He also cited Senate Bill 34, which regulates the security, use and sharing of automated license plate reader data, and Senate Bill 54.
- Planned capability: six drones providing live aerial information during emergencies
- Deployment plan: three Riverside locations
- Funding: $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant
- Status: grant accepted on October 20; further council approval required for projects and equipment purchases
- Police integration: connection with the existing Real-Time Information Center and FususONE software
The proposed program therefore combines an aerial response layer with a broader police information system. Its next formal step is additional City Council consideration of the projects and purchases. Until that approval is granted, Riverside’s six-drone deployment remains a funded proposal rather than an operational first-responder service.
