Police departments across Arizona plan to implement the use of drones as part of its first responders to emergency situations. Scottsdale\u2019s police department will be the first<\/a> in the state to use a special fleet of drones that can be sent to potential crime scenes and emergencies by special detection cameras.<\/p>\n The drone technology will come from a new drone startup called Aerodome<\/a> and the public safety tech firm Flock Safety<\/a>, which makes gunshot sensors, analytic software and cameras that can monitor neighborhoods and read license plates. Scottsdale PD\u2019s drones will respond to emergencies in real time to provide first responders with a bird\u2019s eye view of emergencies as first responders make their way to the area.<\/p>\n The drones can be dispatched by police officers and emergency dispatchers as well as Flock cameras that detect unlawful activity such as stolen vehicles or cars that match descriptions from an AMBER alert. They can even silently follow a suspect while officers handle multiple 911 calls and keep an aerial view of a runaway vehicle without risking the safety of officers and bystanders.<\/p>\n The use of drones by law enforcement has been growing over the years. More than 1,500 police departments use them in some capacity, according to Axios<\/em><\/a>. First responders may see these drones as a useful tool but there are also serious concerns about protecting citizens\u2019 Constitutional privacy rights.<\/p>\n The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised concerns about Flock\u2019s license plate reader cameras<\/a>. Last year, the ACLU expressed concerns with law enforcement\u2019s use of \u201ceye-in-the-sky policing\u201d<\/a> calling for communities to \u201cput in place guardrails that will prevent those operations from expanding,\u201d according to an editorial written by ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not clear where the courts will draw lines, and there\u2019s a very real prospect that other, more local uses of drones become so common and routine that without strong privacy protections, we end up with the functional equivalent of a mass surveillance regime in the skies,\u201d Stanley wrote.<\/p>\n There are some federal regulations currently in place that prevent police departments from misusing drones and maintain some level of safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)<\/a> limits police\u2019s drone use to the operator\u2019s line of sight. The drone cannot be over 55 pounds including attached equipment or goods it may be carrying to emergency sites and they can\u2019t fly any higher than 400 feet above the ground or structures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n