PASADENA, CA – The Pasadena Police Department (PPD) out of California presented their draft policy on the department’s use of drones following community concerns, with the department proposing a prohibition on weaponization of drones as well as barring facial recognition technology and access for the purpose of immigration enforcement.
PPD officials are slated to present their draft drone policy to the Community Police Oversight Commission on July 9th, with the proposed policy reportedly addressing concerns raised in an April memo submitted by the commission’s ad hoc committee. Said proposed policy aims to balance community concerns over privacy and use of drone technology while retaining the public safety interests advanced by their use.
Specific proposals in the draft policy highlight that the PPD agrees to not outfit drones with any weapons, would not equip them with facial recognition technology, and would not allow PPD drones to assist with immigration enforcement. Additional proposals outlined in the draft emphasize drones would not be used for general surveillance or roving patrols.
Constitutionally protected activities like lawful assemblies would also not be targeted with drone surveillance, according to the proposed policy, sans addressing legitimate public-safety purposes. PPD officials will also work to mitigate incidental capture of bystanders in deemed “sensitive” areas like schools or hospitals. With respect to areas where one has a reasonable expectation of privacy, PPD drone use would also be prohibited in the absence of a warrant or exigent circumstances.
Use of drone technology by the PPD would also incorporate stringent oversight and transparency, according to the proposed policy, requiring that “a trained Remote Pilot in Command” have oversight of each deployment and that said deployments are documented and cataloged on a public-facing website.
The draft policy could be recommended for advancement or alterations during the upcoming Community Police Oversight Commission meeting later in July which will be held at the Council Chambers at Pasadena City Hall, Room S249.
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