Drones: Law Enforcement’s Secret Eye In The Sky
How Minnesotas largest county started using drones with little transparency or oversight.
Residents of Minnesotas largest county may soon notice police drones whizzing around overhead. The Hennepin County Sheriffs Office (HCSO) has already deployed a small quadcopter, but what will surprise observers of that drone assuredly the first of more to come is the serious lack of oversight regarding its use. Law enforcement officials are able to use the drone to collect evidence without first obtaining a warrant, and they are still failing to explain the full scope of the program.
The quadcopter currently being used in the county was first used as early as May to search for a missing student, according to media reports, despite HCSO officials saying earlier the drone would only begin flying operationally a month later.
The county sheriffs office maintains that the drone will only be used for search and rescue missions, like the one in May, but it seems that more may be in store. Its Unmanned Aerial Systems policy currently outlines protocols [for] data intended to be used as evidence and [facilitates] law enforcement access to images and data captured by the UAS.
Such language raises concerns about police surveillance through drones and leaves more questions than answers about a program that has largely remained in the dark.
The county has been quiet about the plans it has for the use of drones blocking public records requests since at least March 2015, claiming at the time that it had no records related to use of drones, plans for acquisition and similar details.
https://thinkprogress.org/drones-law-enforcements-secret-eye-in-the-sky-9eda68fb8bc#.3mteg4w5g