Tuolumne County Sheriff | Drones
The Sheriff's Office has flown unmanned aircraft since at least 2017 under an internal policy. State law has required a public military equipment policy, adopted by ordinance, since May 2022. We could not find one for the county.
At a glance
- First documented
- 2017 [1]
- Governing policy
- Policy 613, Unmanned Aerial System (internal) [2]
- Flight approval
- the Sheriff or a designee, in writing [2]
- Military equipment ordinance (AB 481)
- none found [4]
- Aircraft in service
- no public inventory found [2]
- Program cost
- not stated in any record we found [2]
How it happened
- Deployment
Drone use is first documented
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance records the Sheriff's Office operating one drone as of 2017. [1]
- Context
The state deadline for a military equipment policy passes
Assembly Bill 481 requires a law enforcement agency to obtain its governing body's approval of a military equipment use policy, adopted by ordinance, before funding, acquiring, or using the equipment the statute lists. Unmanned aircraft are on that list. The statute directs an agency to cease use of covered equipment if the governing body does not approve a policy. [3]
- Context
The published policy manual governs flights internally
Policy 613 states that unmanned aerial systems "may be utilized to enhance the office's mission of protecting lives and property when other means and resources are not available or are less effective." It requires written authorization from the Sheriff or a designee before deployment, appoints a program coordinator, sets a warrant or exigent-circumstances standard for places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and cites federal aviation requirements. Data retention defers to the office's records retention schedule, periodic program reports run to the Sheriff, and no sentence in the policy references the Board of Supervisors. [2]
- Context
We searched for the county's military equipment record and found none
We read the Board of Supervisors agendas across 2022, searched the county website, and went through the contents of the published policy manual. We found no military equipment ordinance, no such policy, and no annual report. The City of Sonora's police department, by contrast, maintains a military equipment policy and has published annual reports for 2023 and 2024. [4] [2] [5] [6]
When it started operating
The Sheriff’s Office has operated unmanned aircraft since at least 2017, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Atlas of Surveillance recorded one drone in its inventory.[1]
What governs it
The program runs under Policy 613 of the office’s own manual, which says that unmanned aerial systems “may be utilized to enhance the office’s mission of protecting lives and property when other means and resources are not available or are less effective.” The policy requires written authorization from the Sheriff or a designee before a flight, appoints a program coordinator, and sets a warrant or exigent-circumstances standard for flying over places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy.[2]
Assembly Bill 481, in force since 2022, requires a law enforcement agency to obtain its governing body’s approval of a military equipment use policy, adopted by ordinance and reviewed annually in public, before funding, acquiring, or using the equipment the statute lists. Unmanned aircraft are on that list. The statute set a deadline of 1 May 2022 and directs an agency to stop using covered equipment if the governing body does not approve a policy.[3]
We looked for Tuolumne County’s policy. We read the Board of Supervisors agendas across 2022, searched the county website, and went through the contents of the Sheriff’s policy manual as revised in December 2025. We found no military equipment ordinance, no such policy, and no annual report.[4][5] Policy 613 assigns no role to the Board.[2]
The City of Sonora’s police department, covered by the same statute, maintains a military equipment policy, Policy 706, and has published annual reports for 2023 and 2024. The 2024 report records that the department returned its remaining covered equipment to the Department of Defense.[6] We could not find a 2025 report on the city or department websites.
Questions
- Does the Tuolumne County Sheriff fly drones?
- Yes. The office's published policy manual contains Policy 613 governing unmanned aerial systems, and the Atlas of Surveillance records one drone as of 2017. [2] [1]
- Who approves a flight?
- Under Policy 613, deployment requires written authorization from the Sheriff or a designee, and the Sheriff appoints a program coordinator. The policy sets a warrant or exigent-circumstances standard for flying over places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. [2]
- Does state law require more than an internal policy?
- Yes. Since May 2022, Government Code sections 7070 and following have required a governing body to approve a military equipment use policy by ordinance, with an annual report, before an agency may use the equipment the statute lists. Unmanned aircraft are listed. We could not find such an ordinance, policy, or report for Tuolumne County. [3] [4]
What we do not know
- How many aircraft does the office operate, of what type, and paid for with what money?
- How often are they flown, and for what purposes?
- Has the county adopted any military equipment policy under Government Code section 7070?
What you can do
Show up
Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where each of them meets in Tuolumne County and how public comment works there.
How to show up in Tuolumne 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.
- 2. Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office policy manual, revision of December 18, 2025 (Policy 613) · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy
- 3. Assembly Bill 481 (2021), Government Code sections 7070 to 7075 · Law · accessed · archived copy
- 4. Board of Supervisors agenda and minutes archive · Meeting record · accessed · archived copy
- 5. County of Tuolumne website · Primary document · accessed · archived copy
- 6. Sonora Police Department, Military Equipment Use Report 2024 · Primary document · accessed · archived copy · our copy (641 KB)
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