Laguna police chief talks drones, e-bike dangers and stepped-up enforcement
By SARA HALL
The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee held its monthly meeting via Zoom on August 6, with Chief of Police Jeff Calvert as the featured speaker.
Calvert highlighted police priorities for 2026: Enhance proactive enforcement; address quality of life concerns; strengthen community partnerships; and improve data-driven policing.
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Courtesy of city of Laguna Beach
Chief of Police Jeff Calvert
He noted that the city will continue to invest in technology, including a Drones as First Responder (DFR) program that City Council recently approved.
Other agencies have installed static pods on top of buildings so drones can quickly be deployed as calls for service come in. Data shows the drones can be on scene in less than a minute. They provide video and real-time situational awareness to dispatchers, officers and incident commanders. They were recently used by neighboring agencies to track down people lighting illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July, he said.
“(That is) just one of those ways that DFR will really enhance public safety in our community,” Calvert said.
There will be two pods on a roof in the city, Calvert reported, but the location has not been confirmed.
The number of kids on e-bikes has decreased since council approved regulations for electric transportation devices, Calvert said, answering an audience question.
Calvert also said the district attorney’s office is going after parents if someone is injured in an e-bike incident. The DA is “very, very serious” about it.
“It’s a scare tactic, but I hope that the parents are listening and they put a lot of thought into handing over a $4,000 e-bike that goes 30 miles an hour. It’s just dangerous,” Calvert commented.
LBPD has worked with the school district and now provides e-bike safety courses. After completing the class, kids receive a sticker to place on their bike, he explained.
“Riding a bicycle through this town is very dangerous,” Calvert said. “It’s a serious concern.”
“This is not a police department problem; this is a parental problem with parents buying their kids essentially e-motorcycles,” Calvert commented.
Answering another question, Calvert pointed out that the city was sued by ACLU SoCal in 2008 over its anti-camping ordinance. The following year, Laguna Beach opened the Alternative Sleeping Location facility.
“We really became a model for the entire county when we stood up the ASL out in the canyon,” Calvert said.
It’s a good resource, but there are challenges, he added.
Calvert also noted a recent Supreme Court decision allowing enforcement of laws prohibiting people from sleeping outdoors even if shelter space is unavailable.
“That evened the playing field for every community,” Calvert said.
The ASL is still available, he added, and local park rangers are dedicated to addressing homelessness issues. They know individuals in town, engage them, direct them toward resources and track recidivist offenders, Calvert explained.
Calvert also shared statistics, including a year-to-date increase in loud exhaust citations. In recent years, Laguna Beach kicked off a multi-agency task force to tackle the issue.
“This was a quality-of-life issue impacting all the coastal cities,” Calvert said.
He also noted that Assembly Bill 2496, which the city supported, will go into effect on January 1, 2027. The law requires a certificate of compliance for exhaust noise violations.
“It’s going to give us stronger teeth when these vehicles are moving through our community,” Calvert said. “We have a reputation in this town that we are very strict with loud exhaust enforcement.”
There was also a YTD increase in citations for parking violations, speeding, off-leash dogs and arrests.
Calvert mentioned response times, which are shorter than 2025 on average; traffic collisions, which are slightly up overall with unsafe speed the most common factor; and community outreach and public education covering traffic safety, crime prevention and more.
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Sara Hall covers City Hall and is a regular contributor to Stu News Laguna.
