CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA – The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office is planning a major expansion of its drone program, with more than $200,000 in new drones listed among the agency’s planned 2026 purchases, according to a newly released annual military equipment report.
The drone spending is part of a much larger equipment plan. The Sheriff’s Office expects to spend about $1.27 million on new “military equipment” in 2026, including a BearCat armored rescue vehicle, a Boston Dynamics SPOT tactical robot, new drones, less-lethal launchers, rifles, suppressors, PepperBall systems, impact munitions, flashbangs, smoke devices, breaching rounds, and chemical agents.
The drone-related line items include more than $200,000 in new drones, plus a separate $64,000 line item for Skydio drones, according to a summary of the report.
Why Drones Count as “Military Equipment”
Under California law, “military equipment” does not only mean tanks, armored vehicles, or military surplus. Government Code Section 7070 specifically includes “unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles” in the definition — which means drones fall under the state’s public reporting and oversight rules.
The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office says its Government Code Section 7070 materials are posted in compliance with Assembly Bill 481, the 2021 state law that requires law enforcement agencies to create a policy and get governing-body approval before buying, obtaining, or using certain types of equipment.
Drones Were Used 185 Times Last Year
The report shows drones have become one of the Sheriff’s Office’s most commonly used pieces of reportable equipment. In 2025, the agency deployed unmanned aircraft 185 times for purposes including suspect searches, missing-person searches, crime-scene and crash documentation, search warrants, protest monitoring, assisting other police agencies, and supporting felony arrests.
By comparison, BearCat armored rescue vehicles were deployed 12 times, and Long Range Acoustic Devices were used 10 times, according to the report summary. The Sheriff’s Office reported no public complaints or policy violations involving the equipment in 2025.
A Bigger Equipment Push
The drone purchases are not happening in isolation. The Board of Supervisors already approved a purchase order of up to $415,000 on June 9 for a new Lenco BEARCAT G3 Pro armored vehicle for the Sheriff-Coroner. County materials say that vehicle also qualifies as “military equipment” under Government Code 7070 and will be maintained in the Sheriff’s annual military equipment inventory.
County documents say the BearCat purchase is funded through Police County Service Area PL6 and includes the vehicle, optional equipment, and warranty. The Sheriff’s Office said its older BearCat G2 was manufactured in 2007 and has had increasing mechanical and operational problems, including issues with locking mechanisms, door handles, air conditioning, seating, windows, intercom, and emergency lighting.
The Public Can Ask Questions This Month
Residents will have a chance to ask questions about the equipment plan at a public review meeting scheduled for July 21 at 6 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office, 1850 Muir Road in Martinez. The meeting will include a presentation on the 2025 Government Code Section 7070 Defined Military Equipment Annual Report, followed by a question-and-answer session.
State law requires annual military equipment reports to include information such as how equipment was used, complaints or concerns, policy violations, annual costs, the quantity possessed, and any additional equipment the agency intends to acquire. The law also requires a community engagement meeting within 30 days of releasing the annual report.
For supporters, drones can give deputies a safer way to search dangerous areas, locate missing people, document crashes, or assess fast-moving scenes without immediately sending people into harm’s way. For critics, the concern is that the same technology can also become a powerful surveillance tool.
Either way, the new report makes one thing clear: drones are no longer a rare or experimental tool for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. They are now one of the agency’s most frequently used pieces of reportable equipment — and the department is preparing to buy more.
