In the two months since the Los Angeles Police Department revealed that it wants to try flying drones, the unmanned aircraft have been the source of an often heated back-and-forth.
Protesters leave a Police Commission meeting in August after voicing their opposition to a proposal by the LAPD to test drones. (Credit: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Advocates say the drones could help protect officers and others by using nonhuman eyes to collect crucial information during high-risk situations. Skeptics worry that use of the devices will steadily expand and include inappropriate — or illegal — surveillance. The LAPD’s harshest critics want the drone program scrapped before it even takes off.
On Tuesday, the civilian board that oversees the LAPD will vote on whether to allow the department to test drones during a one-year pilot program.
Drones have been hailed by law enforcement across the country as a valuable technology that could help find missing hikers or monitor armed suspects without jeopardizing the safety of officers. But efforts to deploy the unmanned aircraft have frequently drawn fierce criticism from privacy advocates and police critics, for whom the devices stir Orwellian visions of unwarranted surveillance or fears of weaponized drones patrolling the skies.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
from KTLA http://ift.tt/2gnx5Ir
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