San Francisco voters back expanded police camera and drone surveillance

A new poll conducted by the advocacy group GrowSF reveals that a large majority of San Francisco residents are comfortable with the police expanding their surveillance arsenal, including cameras, drones and live-feed monitoring of crime hotspots. Seventy-two percent would approve of deploying such technology after a 911 call, and 66 % support real-time video of areas like the Tenderloin drug market to deter crime. Similar majorities favor using surveillance to curb illegal dumping (67 %) and to monitor high-drug-use zones (69 %).

The survey also shows broad backing for other enforcement tools, with 66 % in favor of tasers and 75 % supporting police actions to disperse drug markets. This marks a notable reversal from the city’s 2019 decision to ban facial-recognition, a policy shift that followed former Mayor London Breed’s 2020 push to reallocate police funds toward Black-community programs. Police attribute recent drops in auto theft and property crime to technologies like Flock Safety cameras, though murder rates have risen. Civil-rights groups such as DeFlock warn that the growing surveillance network raises privacy concerns, noting that many U.S. cities have rejected similar systems.