Drones Added to Lompoc Police’s Safety Efforts For The New Year

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) - The Lompoc Police Department is heading into 2026 with some new enhancement initiatives.

There are two separate programs worth noting: one for traffic safety and the other is bringing drones in to assist First Responders.

Some upcoming enhancements to traffic safety are courtesy of grant funding from the state provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and a pilot program for drones to assist first responders will begin in the coming months.

The $35,000 grant was awarded to the Lompoc Police Department to increase DUI checkpoints, expand field training to officers for recognizing impairment, and enforcement operations focused on the worst of traffic behaviors.

The goal is to reduce traffic violations, and incidents resulting from them.

The two-year pilot program for Drones as First Responders initiative will be getting its practical start in the next few months, after some strict procedural guidelines are agreed upon for protection of privacy.

The drones will not be patrolling proactively, but will be docked at their station until emergency calls come in where they will be determined useful.

Additionally, the drones will first fly at a specific altitude and the cameras on them will be aimed only at the horizon until arrival at the scene itself.

The Drones as First Responder program will be thoroughly reviewed at the end of the two-year pilot phase before renewal.

Overall, these new programs are expected to streamline operations for Lompoc police to increase public safety and reduce incidents that call for their involvement.

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