The UCLA Police Department spent more than $220,000 on drones and less-lethal ammunition in 2025, and the agency is now seeking authorization to expand that arsenal.
In its Oct. 19 military equipment report, UCPD disclosed that it acquired three Skydio X10 drones through a 10-year agreement. The contract costs $21,654 each year and includes the aircraft and docking stations, the Daily Bruin reported.
Richard Mejia, director of emergency communications and information for the Office of Campus and Community Safety, said the purchases support UCPD’s newly established “Drone as First Responder” initiative.
The program is intended to give officers a clearer view of unfolding incidents, shorten emergency response times and preserve video footage that could be used as evidence, Mejia said in an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin.
Introduced in September 2023, the Skydio X10 is a folding quadcopter that the manufacturer says can be taken from a backpack and prepared for flight in about 40 seconds.
UCPD also purchased 120 40 mm rounds for $3,477 in 2025. According to the 2026 report, the department now holds 3,117 less-lethal munitions and is seeking another 1,950 PepperBall rounds along with 50 additional 40 mm projectiles.
The report attributes the requested equipment to UCLA’s expanding footprint, including new university-owned housing, medical facilities and administrative sites, as well as preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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The department is also asking to increase its operational drone fleet from three aircraft to five, while purchasing as many as four lower-cost drones for pilot training.
UCPD said in its latest annual report that five active drones would allow the department to cover more than 95% of priority police, fire and emergency medical calls. The expanded fleet would also support uninterrupted aerial observation during extended incidents.
The department further stated that the five unmanned aircraft systems would help protect the Athletes Village during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, while remaining available for other public safety operations across the UCLA campus.
UCPD’s proposal includes additional 40 mm ammunition as well. The department wants 50 more sponge rounds, bringing its total to 350, and another 1,000 pepper-spray balls for launchers it has already received approval to purchase.
The request also calls for 950 inert, non-chemical rounds. UCPD says those projectiles could be used in indoor or otherwise sensitive settings where deploying pepper spray would pose safety concerns.
Critics, however, say less-lethal weapons have contributed to serious injuries during previous protests on campus. UCLA professor Michael Chwe has organized a petition that now has hundreds of signatures calling on UCPD to stop using 40 mm launchers.
Chwe is scheduled to bring the petition before UCPD during the department’s annual public meeting on its Military Equipment Use Policy Wednesday.