Police, rescuers study use of small-scale drone aircraft
Written by
Daniel P. Finney
The word “drone” conjures up the image of massive, missile-firing, highly lethal Predator unmanned aircraft that revolutionized combat during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But much smaller eyes soon could be patrolling domestic skies, launched by police, first responders and other agencies. These unmanned flight vehicles are intended to help provide information and mitigate danger in natural disasters and other emergencies. They could provide air surveillance in a hostage crisis or SWAT team deployment, help search for missing children or map the scene of a traffic pileup from the air.
However, civil liberties proponents want strict regulations in place before the birds take flight.
“These things are coming,” said Ben Stone, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. “It seems pretty inevitable that at some point Iowa law enforcement is going to start getting this. We need to get in front of this technology and provide guidance through our domestic institutions as to how these technology advances are going to be used.”
