The California Supreme Court docket has declined to take up Castañares v. Superior Court docket, successfully sustaining the Fourth District Court docket of Enchantment’s 2023 ruling that requires police departments to evaluate drone footage on a case-by-case foundation below the California Public Data Act (CPRA) moderately than issuing blanket denials.
Case Background & Authorized Framework
Initiated in 2021 by journalist Arturo Castañares of La Prensa San Diego, the request sought all drone footage from Chula Vista’s Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) program for a month. The trial court docket initially upheld town’s denial, citing investigatory exemptions and the “catch-all” clause to keep away from an “unreasonable burden”.
In December 2023, the appellate court docket reversed that broad denial, categorizing footage into three sorts:
-
Clearly a part of investigatory recordsdata — exempt.
-
Footage utilized in investigations however not but a part of a file — presumably exempt.
-
Factual inquiry footage (e.g., water leaks or non-criminal calls) — not exempt.
The case was despatched again for additional proceedings requiring detailed evaluation.
Following the appellate ruling, the California Supreme Court docket declined to evaluation the case in April 2024, permitting the choice to face as precedent.
Metropolis’s Place & Sensible Issues
Chula Vista officers have constantly expressed concern that the ruling might threaten the viability of the DFR program. In an August 2025 assertion, town estimated that manually reviewing and redacting only one month’s footage would require 229 full workdays—practically a yr of labor by one full-time worker—to make sure privateness and compliance.
The town’s assertion emphasised that their resistance shouldn’t be motivated by secrecy however by a have to protect a important public security device whereas safeguarding resident privateness. The DFR program, they be aware, is used solely in emergency response—not for routine surveillance—and already maintains transparency by means of revealed flight knowledge, public excursions, and clearly outlined insurance policies.
Implications for DFR Applications
-
Administrative Burden: The requirement for thorough redaction and classification might impose vital prices and gradual the deployment of drone items throughout emergencies.
-
Program Viability: Departments could have to weigh the advantages of real-time aerial intelligence towards the assets required for compliant information administration.
-
Precedent Setting: As one of many earliest and most sturdy DFR initiatives within the U.S., Chula Vista’s expertise could sign how different businesses construction and doc their drone applications transferring ahead.
With the appellate framework now in place, regulation enforcement businesses could more and more reassess how they handle drone knowledge—prioritizing techniques that may shortly classify footage, apply redactions, or launch non-sensitive content material proactively. The case underscores the stress between rising aerial applied sciences and current public information legal guidelines—a stability that may possible form coverage as drone utilization expands in public security.
Learn extra:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, an expert drone providers market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone trade and the regulatory surroundings for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles targeted on the business drone house and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the trade. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising and marketing for brand new applied sciences.
For drone trade consulting or writing, Electronic mail Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife right here.
