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New York Police Say They Will Deploy 14 Drones
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New York|New York Police Say They Will Deploy 14 Drones
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The New York Police Department said it stopped using drones after a pilot program in 2011, but it has continued to purchase them as recently as last year, documents show.CreditUli Seit for The New York Times
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The New York Police Department said it stopped using drones after a pilot program in 2011, but it has continued to purchase them as recently as last year, documents show.CreditCreditUli Seit for The New York Times
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The police say they could be used for reconstructing traffic crashes, mapping crime scenes, securing large events, and conducting search-and-rescue operations. Civil libertarians fear they also could be used for spying on law-abiding citizens.
Drones have been adopted as a law-enforcement tool in police departments across the country, stirring controversy in some cities. The New York Police Department said it stopped using drones after a pilot program in 2011, but it has continued to quietly purchase them as recently as last year, documents show.
Police commanders on Tuesday lifted a veil of secrecy covering the department’s drone program, announcing they have acquired 14 unmanned aerial vehicles and have trained 29 officers to fly them.
“As the largest municipal police department in the United States, the N.Y.P.D. must always be willing to leverage the benefits of new and always-improving technology,” Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a statement.
The drones will be used for policing large concerts and other events, investigating hazardous waste spills, handling hostage situations and reaching remote crime scenes, the department said. They will not be used for everyday police patrol, unlawful surveillance or to enforce traffic laws. The drones will not be equipped with weapons.
The expansion of the drone program follows a pilot project in Brooklyn in 2011 and establishes the Police Department’s place among dozens of law enforcement agencies that in recent years have used drones in search-and-rescue efforts and securing events with large crowds.
The announcement on Tuesday sets the stage for a public debate in the city about civilian privacy and police technology, which is likely to be colored by the department’s history of surveillance, including spying on Muslims and using military-grade cellphone-tracking devices to eavesdrop on civilians.
The effort also faces resistance from police reform advocates, some of whom are increasingly skeptical of the department’s will to operate transparently and hold officers accountable for misconduct. They warn that the devices could be exploited by the Trump administration and used to target immigrants, Muslims and protesters.
Donovan Richards, a Democrat and the chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety, credited the police with seeking advice from his panel and the New York Civil Liberties Union. Still, he said, he would seek to fast-track legislation to establish safeguards to protect the privacy of citizens.
“What we want to avoid is mission creep, where you start with the use of drones for traffic and before you know it, it’s being used for surveillance,” Mr. Richards said.
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