Background
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest public safety agencies in California, serving over two million residents in both urban and rural areas. The department responds to more than 130,000 calls for service annually across multiple jurisdictions. With critical infrastructure like Levi’s Stadium and headquarters for major tech companies, the department faces significant pressure to ensure public safety and operate efficiently.
“ We really think the DFR program is going to help us with cutting down service time, helping us get that actionable intel, and then leveraging that into solving crimes and taking people into custody.
Challenge
Staffing shortages and lagging response times
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office was facing a staffing shortage with approximately 70 vacancies waiting to be filled. Less patrol officers responding to calls meant meeting response time standards became increasingly difficult, which in turn led to missed opportunities to apprehend suspects.
solution
Drone as First Responder with Skydio
Working closely with Skydio, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is in the process of deploying Skydio drones as part of their Drone as First Responder (DFR) initiative. With Skydio X10, the department is reducing response times by providing immediate aerial overwatch for priority calls, starting in the towns of Saratoga and Los Altos Hills.
Historical calls for service from the county’s dispatch center enables precise deployment of drones to high-priority areas. This strategic data-driven approach allows the department to optimize their coverage, responding to calls faster while minimizing the need for physical officer deployment in certain situations.
Results
Faster responses and more efficient operations
The initial deployment of Skydio drones is expected to result in significant improvements in response times, with drones reaching incident scenes in under two minutes for 72% of calls for service in target areas. Skydio drones are providing overwatch on high priority calls and helping to clear low-priority calls, such as false alarms and “gone on arrival” situations, allowing officers to prioritize high-impact calls and reducing the strain on limited patrol resources.
“ Once you get the drone there you have additional information you didn't have from the 911 caller. That's what a lot of agencies are realizing – the ground unit I have in route, just go ahead and disregard. Drone took care of it. We're clear. You don't actually have to respond.
A Look ahead
An expanded drone program in Santa Clara County
As part of their long-term strategy, Santa Clara County is looking to expand the DFR program into more rural areas, combining pre-positioned drone docks with on-patrol deployment. The department aims to continue optimizing response times and enhancing public safety with Skydio's fully autonomous systems.
