Would police use of drones be thrifty, or threat to liberty?
By: OLYMPIA MEOLA | Richmond Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND, Va. —
Gov. Bob McDonnell has signaled that he is open to the domestic use of unmanned aircraft in law enforcement, triggering concern from a civil-liberties group about the threat to privacy posed by drones soaring through American skies.
McDonnell broached the issue last week in response to a question asked during a monthly radio appearance, but the use of drones by state police does not appear imminent.
“America is not a battlefield, and the citizens of this nation are not insurgents in need of vanquishing,” John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, wrote Friday in a letter to McDonnell and copied to the Virginia General Assembly.
“Moreover, a rapid adoption of drone technology before properly vetting the safety, privacy and civil-liberties issues involved would be a disaster for your administration and the people of Virginia.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issues certificates allowing public agencies and organizations in the U.S. to operate a particular unmanned aircraft — more commonly thought of in use over military battlefields — under specific conditions.
A list released by the FAA in April of agencies that have, or once had, a certificate to operate such aircraft between November 2006 and June 2011 includes Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech, but VCU says it has not maintained its authorization.
VCU had a certificate related to its cooperation with a NASA program. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, is using the aircraft. It’s just not exactly the stuff of spy movies.
David Schmale, an assistant professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science, is investigating microbial life in the lower atmosphere using retrofitted hobby-size airplanes with spore collection devices, according to a story about his work posted to Tech’s website.
The Virginia State Police have not purchased any drones and have no intention to do so in the near future, though they are familiar with the technology, spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
Potential uses of drones could involve searches for missing children or adults, saving the expense of taking up a helicopter, Geller said.
McDonnell was asked about the domestic use of drones Tuesday during a monthly appearance on “Ask the Governor” on WTOP radio in Washington.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “I think we ought to be using technology to make law enforcement more productive, (it) cuts down on manpower in the air, and also (is) more safe. That’s why we use it on the battlefield.”
He said the use of that technology has not reached his desk, and added that there could be a need to address civil liberty concerns over privacy .
A McDonnell spokesman later commented that “Virginia is continually exploring law enforcement technology and techniques that can keep citizens and officers safe while making it more cost effective to conduct law enforcement activities.
“If state police were to add drones to its law enforcement tools,” spokesman Jeff Caldwell said, “the state police would first ensure that such use was consistent with all relevant constitutional protections, laws and policies related to their use at that time.”
