Police Drones Get More Docks In Newport Beach As Drone Program Expands

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — The Newport Beach Police Department just finished installing a total of ten drone docks throughout the city.

The move comes in anticipation of big waves and powerful tides forecasted to pummel the California coast starting Monday.

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According to Officer Aaron Sandoval, who also serves as a drone pilot, the drones can answer calls ranging from missing children reports to violent crimes in progress.

The Drone as a First Responder program was originally unveiled in 2025 and has since served the city and its community — notably, during the inundation of flooding that muddied the streets of the Balboa Peninsula just a few weeks back.

"Officers were having a hard time getting onto the peninsula due to the flooding," Sandoval said. "So the drone was able to get on scene, provide real-time intelligence to director heads, to relay any information that they might need."