Matthew Guariglia

Stories

San Francisco Police Commission advances new drone policy

Opposed Prop E and current policy

The San Francisco Police Commission voted 5-1 on Oct. 14 to advance its first drone policy since voters legalized police drone use in 2024. The rules allow drones for public safety responses, bar general surveillance and monitoring protests, and require a warrant before a drone peers into a home or enclosed yard.

Updated Oct 19

SFPD deploys AI video analysis tool used by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem

New Capabilities

As of October 2026: Critic of BriefCam deployment

The San Francisco Police Department has deployed BriefCam, an AI video analysis platform developed by an Israeli tech firm. Israeli authorities used the same tool to monitor Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The $198,000, three-year contract, funded by federal grants, supports the department's Real Time Crime Center.

Updated Oct 6

Notable Quotes

Prop. E…allow[ed] SFPD to effectively experiment with a piece of surveillance technology for a full year without any approval or oversight.

from San Francisco Police Commission advances new drone policy · Updated Oct 19

"It is giving the government the power to track individuals across hundreds or thousands of networked cameras as they go about their business."

from SFPD deploys AI video analysis tool used by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem · Updated Oct 6

"This speaks to the fact that even when the city seems to acknowledge that there are some civil liberty issues with this technology, they are still in on this surveillance maximalism."

from SFPD deploys AI video analysis tool used by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem · Updated Oct 6