California is tapping into new technology to figure out how to attack wildfires, using military satellites, drones and infrared mapping.

A controversial police drone, purchased unbeknownst to many in San Jose, may not take flight until 2017. While the City Council on Tuesday will vote on a policy governing drone use, police don’t expect the Federal Aviation Administration’s blessing until the end of next year.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office plans to obtain cellphone spying equipment to track suspected criminals and find missing people.

The San Jose Police Department will hold another community meeting Saturday about its drone, an unmanned GoPro-strapped quadricopter it acquired early last year without public input.

Civil rights groups castigated San Jose city leaders for approving a drone purchase without public debate over privacy concerns. They're now asking the city to reform procedures for acquiring surveillance technology to make the process more transparent.

In the face of mounting criticism about its acquisition of a drone, the San Jose Police Department admitted that the process was not conducted in a transparent fashion and the drone will not be deployed before addressing community concerns.

New details emerged this week regarding the San Jose Police Department's purchase of a drone, which has been described as a tool to assist the bomb squad. Privacy advocates aren't so sure.

Exactly how does the San Jose Police Department intend to use an $8,000 bomb-sniffing drone? That’s just one question that could be answered by Muckrock’s three-year project to peel back the curtain on local law enforcement agencies deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones.