Arizona police departments plan to use drones as part of emergency first responders. Scottsdale Police Department will be the first using a fleet of dedicated drones across the state that can be dispatched to potential crime scenes and emergencies with dedicated detection cameras.
It will come from a new drone startup called Drone Technology Aerodome and a public safety technology company Herd Safety, makes fire sensors, analytics software and cameras that can monitor neighborhoods and read license plates. Scottsdale PD’s drones will respond to emergencies in real-time and provide a bird’s-eye view of emergencies as first responders make their way to the scene.
Drones can be deployed by police officers and emergency dispatchers, as well as Flock cameras that detect illegal activity, such as stolen vehicles or cars matching the description of an AMBER alert. They can even silently track a suspect while officers handle multiple 911 calls and maintain an aerial view of the fleeing vehicle without risking the safety of officers or bystanders.
The use of drones by law enforcement agencies has been increasing over the years. More than 1,500 police departments reportedly use them in some way Axios. First responders may see these drones as a useful tool, but there are also serious concerns about protecting citizens’ constitutional privacy rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expressed its concerns about this License plate reader cameras from Flock. Last year, the ACLU raised concerns about the use of law enforcement agencies “Police looking in the eye” According to an editorial written by ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley, it urges communities to “put in place guardrails that will prevent these operations from expanding.”
“It’s unclear where the courts will draw the line, and it’s a very real prospect that other, more local uses of drones will become so commonplace and commonplace that without strong privacy protections, we end up with the functional equivalent of mass surveillance in the country. sky,” wrote Stanley.
There are currently some federal regulations that prevent police departments from abusing drones and provide some level of safety. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limits police use of drones to the operator’s line of sight. Unmanned aerial vehicles cannot weigh more than 55 pounds, including any additional equipment or goods they may carry into emergency areas, and they cannot fly more than 400 feet above ground or structures.
