In this beach town, sometimes the first cop on the scene is a drone

A drone prepares to take off from the roof of the Santa Monica police station. Don Redmond, left, and Officer Evan Linney monitor a drone operation from the Chula Vista Police Department's command center in 2020. Last year, Santa Monica got a 911 call about a man with a pistol in a drugstore parking lot. As officers sped to the scene, the drone flew overhead and at first appeared to confirm the man had a firearm. The U.S. has not banned state and local governments from using DJI drones.