Legislative Memo: Restrictions on Police Drones

Ongoing protests over the role of police in public life, and the excessive police response they have prompted, have rightly brought new attention to the technology and machinery used by local law enforcement. Among these new technologies increasingly embraced by local police departments are drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Drones greatly expand the ability of local police to conduct surveillance and interfere with private association and communication, and must be strongly regulated. The NYCLU strongly supports S.6435 (Ramos) / A.9931 (Kim) and urges the legislature to pass it without delay.