New NYCLU Data: NY Law Enforcement Drone Arsenal Rapidly Expanding with No Oversight

NEW YORK, NY — Today, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released its updated report, “Prying Eyes: Government Drone Data Across New York,” highlighting dramatic expansions in drone surveillance since 2022 and underscoring the dangers of this advanced, highly invasive technology across the state.

“New York police departments and government agencies are flooding the skies with highly invasive drones that can track and record our every move without any regulation or oversight,” said Daniel Schwarz, Senior Privacy & Technology Strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “Aerial surveillance technology rarely makes communities safer, and more often than not, compromises people’s privacy rights. As surveillance operations skyrocket, lawmakers must take action to protect New Yorkers – it’s time to pump the brakes on out-of-control aerial surveillance and enact meaningful guardrails over the technology.”

In 2022, the NYCLU first revealed how many drones fill the arsenals of police departments and other government entities in New York. Now, after obtaining new data through a 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, this updated report provides the latest, most comprehensive picture of drone deployment statewide.

Key findings include:

• A massive expansion of drones across New York: there are now 876 active drone registrations by 127 different New York government entities — up from 530 drones by 85 agencies in 2022. This represents a 65 percent increase in only two years.
• Law enforcement agencies operate the vast majority (508) of these drones.
• The New York City Police Department quadrupled its drone arsenal, from 19 active registrations to a whopping 99. This represents a 421 percent increase.
• Multiple state law enforcement agencies have aggressively expanded the ways they use drones. Now, they’re increasingly flying them in response to 911 calls and alerts from questionable, error-prone technology like ShotSpotter.
• There is still extremely limited public information about how or when drones are used, what type of information they collect, where that information is stored, and who has access to it.

The report also highlights the shortcomings of “drones as first responder” programs: there is no evidence that drones provide meaningful benefits as first responders, and often instead lead to problematic, discriminatory surveillance within residential communities.

The NYCLU calls on the New York State Legislature to urgently take action to protect New Yorkers’ safety and privacy from aerial surveillance by creating sustainable, effective guardrails and regulations over this technology.

To read the full report, please click here. 

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