LAPD Deployed Drones 63 Times During Two Anti-Trump Protests, Documents Show

Police drones are increasingly common across the United States, deployed in cities large and small. While media often highlight their use in locating lost pets or catching petty thieves, their role in monitoring peaceful political protests is growing—and Los Angeles is leading the trend.

According to a report by The Intercept, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) launched drones 31 times during a single "ICE Out" protest on January 31. The demonstration ended with at least 50 arrests after the LAPD issued a dispersal order at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Drones Monitored Protests for Hours Before Arrests

Flight data obtained by The Intercept shows that drone surveillance of the peaceful protest began hours before the dispersal order, continuing from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

A few months later, on March 28, during the "No Kings" demonstration protesting Donald Trump, the LAPD launched drones 32 times. Despite no dispersal order until 5:30 p.m., drone coverage spanned from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The protest resulted in 75 arrests.

LAPD Defends Drone Use, Cites Crime Response

"We do not document or record unless there is a crime occurring."

Lieutenant Matthew Jacobs, LAPD

When questioned about the extensive drone deployments, Jacobs stated that drones are used only at the request of an incident commander and not to record First Amendment activity. He added that drones are sometimes deployed to assess crowd size—a justification that contradicts claims of targeted surveillance.

The LAPD’s drone program is part of a broader trend: more than 1,500 police agencies in the U.S. now use drones. As these programs expand, concerns grow over mass aerial surveillance and the lack of privacy protections to counter it.

Broader Implications for Surveillance and Civil Liberties

Civil rights advocates warn that the routine use of drones to monitor protests sets a dangerous precedent. The discrepancy between LAPD’s stated policies and actual drone deployments raises questions about transparency and accountability in law enforcement surveillance practices.

For more on police surveillance technologies, read: AI Surveillance Systems Are Causing a Staggering Number of Wrongful Arrests.