NUNEBER: 6.15 ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE RELATED ORDERS‘ , General Order 1.02, 1.14, 1.15, 1.17, 4.02, 5.04, 5.07, 5.08, 5.10, 5.12, 5.15, 5.16, 5.18, 5.19, 5.21, 5.24, 5.32, 5.35, 6.05 I GENERAL ORDER ISSUE DATE: TBD ’ ' ' REVISION DATE: CHAPTER: Operations Support SUBJECT: Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) PURPOSE: The following procedures are intended to promote the safe, efficient and lawful operation of the Alameda County Sheriff’ s Office (ACSO) small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS). Safety, above all else, isthe primary concern in each and every operation, regardless of the nature of the mission. II. POLICY: It shall be the mission of those personnel of the ACSO who are trained in the use of _ the sUAS to use this resource to protect the lives and property of citizens of Alameda County and first responders in full compliance With applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to applicable State and Federal Constitution and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. ' ' The use of a sUAS can support first responders in situations which would benefit from an aerial perspective and enable responders to detect dangers that could otherwise not be seen. The sUAS can also be utilized for approved training missions. III. OVERVIEW: The FA A Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 provides for the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into national airspace by September 1, 2015. Existing federal law requires the Administrator of the FAA to develop and implement operational and ‘ certification requirements for the operation of public unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace system by December 31, 2015 . ‘ I V. DEFINITION: A. Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS): Consists of the small unmanned aircraft Weighting under 4.4 lbs, the command system, a secure control link, and other related safety support equipment. ‘ B. Unmanned Aircraft (UA): An aircraft that is intended to navigate in the air without an A on‐board pilot. C. UA Flight Crewmember: A pilot, visual observer, or other persons assigned duties for a sUAS for the purpose of flight. D. Unmanned Aircraft Pilot: A person exercising control over unmanned aircraft during flight. The pilot will be ultimately responsible for the operation and solely responsible for General Order 6.15 Page 2 of 4 the input of commands/piloting during flight. The pilot will be certified in the operation of the sUAS by successful completion of an approved training course. The pilot must meet standards required by the FA A (possess a valid second class or higher medical certificate, must pass the required knowledge tests and must keep his/her aeronautical knowledge up to date). Pilots are authorized to evaluate and accept or decline any mission or portion thereof due to safety concerns. ' E. F. V. Certificate of Authorization: COA (Certificate of Authorization) G i v e n by the FA A which grants permission to fly within specific boundaries and perimeters. Training flights cannot take place without a valid Training and Evaluation (T&E) COA and missions cannot take place without a valid operational/emergency COA. Observer: The observer is responsible for the visual observation of the sUAS while in‑ fiight. The observer will maintain a Visual observation of the sUAS while in flight and alert the pilot of any conditions (obstructions, terrain, structures, air traffic, weather, etc) which v affect the safety of flight. The observer will beresponsible for all aviation related communicatiOns required by the FAA. To accomplish this, the observer will be in close . proximity to the pilot to ensure instant relaying of information. The observer will be certified in the operation of the sUAS by successful completion of an approved training course. The observer shall meet standards required by the FA A to possess a valid second ' class (or higher) medical certificate, pass the required knowledge tests and keep their aeronautical knowledge up to date. ORDER: ACSO will obtain a COA from the FAA in order to conduct operational or training missions. Requests for deployment of the sUAS will be made through ACSO Dispatch. The Captain of the Office of Emergency Services (OHSES) and the on-call manager can request a sUAS call‐out. In the absence of those management personnel or when extenuating circumstances exist, the ETS Watch Commander can request a sUAS call‐out. Per Specialized Services Section P&P 5.01, requests for a sUAS call‐out should be made to Dispatch. Dispatch personnel receiving the request for an OHSES call~out shall contact the on‑ call Emergency Services Coordinator with the available information regarding the request. The Emergency Services Coordinator will gather the information pertaining to the request. The Emergency Services Coordinator will contact the sUAS pilot and notify him/her of the mission. The pilot will determine if the sUAS can be deployed safely and practically. If the request comes from an outside public safety agency the request will be directed to Dispatch at (510) 667‐7778. 1. ' When the sUAS is being flown, operators will take steps to ensure the camera is focused on the‘areas necessary to the mission and to minimize the inadvertent collection of data about uninvolved persons or places. 2. ACSO will maintain a website for public input to address citizens’ concerns and recommendations. 3. The use of the sUAS will be limited to the authorized missions described hereinl 4. The sUAS will not be equipped with any weapons. 5. The authorized missions for the ACSO sUAS are: General Order 6.15 Page 3 of 4 Post‐incident crime scene preservation and documentation Explosive ordnance disposal (BOD) missions Response to hazardous materials spills Search and Rescue (SAR) missions as defined in California Government Code Section 26614 Public safety and life preservation missions to include barricaded suspects, hostage situations, active shooters, apprehension of armed and dangerous and/or Violent fleeing suspects, and high‐risk search warrants Disaster response and recovery to include natural or human caused disasters including a full overview of a disaster area for post incident analysis and documentation ' Training missions asauthorized by the Training Certificate of Authorization h. In response to specific requests from local, state or federal fire authorities for fire . response and prevention When there is probable cause to believe that ( l ) the sUAS will record images of a place, thing, condition, or event; and (2) that those images would be relevant in proving that a certain felony had occurred or is occurring, or that a particular person committed or is committing a certain felony and use of the sUAS dOes not infringe upon the reasonable expectation of privacy j. Pursuant to a search warrant Upon issuance of the Operational COA from the FAA, this will be a one year pilot program. A l l procedures, laws and regulations on sUAS usage, shall be reviewed as follows: The Commander of Countywide Services and the Sheriff’s Air Squadron CoordinatOr and others as designated by the Sheriff shall meet quarterly on the use of the sUAS to include an audit review, flight documentation review and provide a quarterly and annual report to the Sheriff. ‘ VI. PROCEDURES: 1. '2. A sUAS operation requires a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the FAA. A sUAS will only be operated by‘personnel, both pilots and crew members, who have been trained and certified in the operation of the system. A l l agency personnel with sUAS ' responsibilities, including command officers, will be provided training in the policies and procedures governing sUAS use. General Order 6.15 3. 4. 5. Page 4 of 4 A l l flights will be approved in advance by the Sheriff or his/her designee (at least the rank of captain). The sUAS and all related equipment will be available and issued at the Office of _Homeland Security and Emergency Services. All flights will be documented on the mission dispatch form designed for that purpose and all flight time shall be accounted for on the form. The reason for the flight and type of mission as specified above and name of the supervisor,.approving the operation will also be documented. 6. VII. The administration, safety policy, training requirements, general operating procedures and pre/post flight actions are contained Within the ACSO sUAS Operations Manual. D ATA RETENTION AND PROCESSING Upon completion of each sUAS mission the recorded data shall be reviewed and evaluated for evidentiary value. Data of identifiable individuals captured during a sUAS mission shall not be retained unless there is reasonable suspicion that evidence of criminal activity is present. ‘ All retained data shall be maintained or destroyed pursuant to Sheriffs Office records retentionand evidence policies and in compliance With applicable laws and regulations. VIII. PROTECTION OF RIGHTS AND P R I VA C Y CONCERNS: sUAS Commanders, operators and observers will consider the protection of individual civil rights and the reasonable expectation of privacy asa key component of any decision made to deploy the sUAS. Each sUAS operator and observer will ensure that operations of the sUAS are I consistent with local, state, and federal law. ‘ Attachment: Small Unmanned Aircraft System Mission Report Form ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM MISSION ‐‐ REPORT FORM Report N o . FA A N O T A M N o : Date: Ti m e : Mission A p p r o v e d b y : M i s s i o n Requested b y : Requestor ’s D e p t /O r g : Requestor C o n t a c t I n f o r m a t i o n : Phone: ' ’ Cell: Email: Mission D e t a i l s : SUAS Pilot: SUAS O b s e r v e r : SUAS Vehicle N u m b e r : Incident C o m m a n d e r : Location: Ty p e of A i r Space: Weather: Wind: FA A Controlling Agency, i.e., NORCAL, C o n t r o l Tower: Frequency Used: Mission Description: (continue on second sheet of paper if necessary a Law Enforcement Support 1:: Fire Suppression/Prevention a Disaster response III Mutual Aid UAS Flight Log: Flight No: Flight No: Flight N0: D Search & Rescue [ 1 - High Risk Search Warrant a Hazardous materials Spill Begin: Begin: Begin: a Video recorded I: Video recording kept n SUAS Flight data kept n Explosive Ordinance Disposal [:1 Crime Scene Preservation [3 Training mission End: End: End: a Deleted Recording given to: a SUAS Flight Data‘deleted Preflight Completed by: P o s t fl i g h t Completed by: Standard Instructions: The SUAS Pilot is responsible f o r insuring the SUAS flight is conducted consistent w i t h the Sheriff’s Office SUAS P&P a n d applicable FA A regulations. The SUAS Pilot is the final authority o v e r the operation of the SUAS. The SUAS Pilot has the authority to reject a flight b a s e d on personnel/public safety, violation of SUAS P&P or Violation of FA A Regulations. SUAS Pilot Reviewed and approved