Senator introduces bill to restrict Police UAS in Florida
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Florida Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has filed a bill that would prevent law enforcement agencies in the state from using drones for surveillance.
These unmanned aircraft have become a cornerstone in hunting down our foes in foreign countries. And now this battle-tested technology is starting to make its way into domestic airspace for civilian use.
Congress has authorized the Federal Aviation Administration to devise safety regulations for drones, which are already being used by some police departments to spy on drug dealers or back up officers during raids.
Negron’s bill, the “Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act,” would stop law enforcement agencies in Florida from using drones “to gather evidence or other information.”
“I think drones are good for killing terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not for spying on Floridians,” Negron said. “It’s government voyeurism as far as I’m concerned.”
Negron said he’d be willing to negotiate some exceptions to his bill. But as it is written now, there’s only one exception for the ban on drones: To “counter a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specific individual or organization” in an operation sanctioned by the United States Secretary of Homeland Security.
