Board of Supervisors approve a $3 million contract with Axon for drones for the Sheriff’s Office.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Oct. 13 to permit the Sheriff’s Office to enter a contract with Axon Enterprises to spend $3 million on drones until 2034. The lone dissenting vote was Supervisor Luis Alejo, who wanted a smaller contract.

The Sheriff’s Office would deploy Skydio drones through Axon Enterprises. They say that the drones could be used as first responders to reply to calls for service, and quickly cross large geographies.

The stock of drones would reach a peak of 18 by 2030, and the contract is structured to refresh the amount of drones available over their lifetime.

Cmdr. Scott Davis said that Sheriff Tina Nieto promised she would include the future funding in the existing budget rather than ask for more money. Supervisor Wendy Root Askew expressed her disdain toward repeated budget requests from the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office would cover a roughly $115,000 price tag for the first year, and then account for it in future budgets.

Davis asked for three different Skydio drone models with varying capabilities: one can provide thermal imaging, another is barely a foot long and can navigate indoors, and another nearly 5-foot-long drone that can travel at 100 miles per hour.

All of the multiple public commenters spoke against the drones. Michelle Welsh of the Monterey County chapter of the ACLU, called for studies of the technology.

Commenters also mentioned that the ask came on the heels of the county denying a $1.7 million contract with Flock to maintain a system of 63 cameras over the course of 10 years.

In regards to privacy concerns, Davis reasoned that drones couldn’t simply be deployed around a neighborhood without a reason to look for something, which Supervisor Kate Daniels noted was the exact reason she opposed Flock.

The Sheriff’s Office created its drone program in 2016, including policies for use. They currently have two functional drones.