Mariposa County District Attorney | Drones
The District Attorney told the Board in 2022 that a drone was its only equipment covered by California's military-equipment law. The Board adopted Ordinance 1183, but the public record reviewed does not identify the model, cost, flight history, or retention period.
At a glance
How it happened
- Debate
The District Attorney introduces a military-equipment policy
Staff tells the Board that a drone is the office's only equipment covered by Assembly Bill 481. One commenter raises concern about militarization and annual reporting. Staff says a report will return yearly and remain on the county website. [1]
- Decision
The Board adopts Ordinance 1183
The Board adopts the District Attorney's military-equipment use policy unanimously. One commenter again objects and asks for annual meetings. [1] [2]
How it was approved
The District Attorney’s Office introduced a military-equipment use policy on December 6, 2022. Staff told the Board that a drone was the office’s only equipment covered by Assembly Bill 481. One commenter raised concern about militarization and asked about annual reporting. Staff said a report would return each year and remain on the county website.[1]
The Board adopted Ordinance 1183 on December 20. One commenter again objected and asked for annual meetings. Staff assured the Board that the District Attorney’s Office would bring its annual report back. The vote was unanimous among the three supervisors present.[1]
What governs it
The ordinance index identifies Ordinance 1183 as the District Attorney’s Assembly Bill 481 policy.[2] The combined Board minutes establish that the office had one covered drone and promised yearly reports. They do not identify the aircraft model, acquisition date, price, mission history, imagery retention period, access roles, or sharing rules.[1]
A later annual report was not in the Board records and ordinance index reviewed for this page.[1][2]
Questions
- Does the Mariposa County District Attorney have a drone?
- The District Attorney's Office told the Board in December 2022 that a drone was its only equipment covered by Assembly Bill 481. [1]
- What policy covers the drone?
- The Board adopted Ordinance 1183, the District Attorney's military-equipment use policy, on December 20, 2022. [1] [2]
What we do not know
- What model does the office operate, when was it acquired, and what did it cost?
- Where are the annual reports promised during the 2022 hearings?
- What do flight logs show about missions, duration, assistance to other agencies, and retained imagery?
- Which policy sets privacy, access, sharing, audit, and retention rules?
What you can do
Show up
Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have not yet confirmed where each of them meets in Mariposa County.
What we have documented in Mariposa County →Protect yourself
Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.
Surveillance Self-Defense →Sources
- 1. Mariposa County Board of Supervisors minutes, December 6 and 20, 2022 (Ordinance 1183) · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
- 2. Mariposa County ordinance index, numbers 1100 through 1199 · Law · accessed · archived copy
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