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‘Police backtrack on a pledge to abstain from ‘warrantless surveillance’ with drones.’
The New York Police Department has been utilizing drones for various purposes, such as search and rescue missions, documenting crime scenes, and monitoring large public events like New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Now, the NYPD plans to extend their drone usage to address noise complaints during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
During a press conference, Assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry stated that if a caller reports a large crowd or a party in a backyard, the NYPD will employ drones to investigate the situation. This announcement has raised concerns among privacy advocates, with a representative from the New York Civil Liberties Union voicing their opposition to the plan. They argue that it contradicts the POST Act, which mandates the publication of police use policies for surveillance technology.
Indeed, this plan appears to deviate from the NYPD’s previous commitments. When the department initially introduced its drone program, it assured the public that the technology would not be used for warrantless surveillance. This commitment is outlined in the NYPD’s POST Act Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Impact and Use Policy, which explicitly states that drones should not be employed in areas where privacy expectations exist, unless a search warrant is obtained by NYPD personnel.
It remains uncertain whether the NYPD intends to obtain search warrants for noise complaints during private events over the Labor Day weekend. Additionally, it is unclear whether such complaints fall under the category of “exigent circumstances.” Nevertheless, the NYPD has been progressively increasing its use of drones in recent years, with unmanned aerial systems being deployed 124 times in 2023.