So Phoenix police's own rollout of the tech is likely to face some scrutiny, particularly given the department is under investigation for what critics call a spotty civil rights track record.
![phoenix drone phoenix drone](https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NATO-RQ-4D-Phoenix-UAS.jpg)
"They are capable of highly advanced and near-constant surveillance," according to one policy brief by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy rights group. Phoenix police, for instance, will join hundreds of law enforcement agencies around the country that deploy the devices.Ĭritics warn, though, that at times, police use of drones has gone beyond their intended purpose - when, for instance, drones are equipped with artificial intelligence, purporting to identify crime on their own, or when the flying devices have weapons attached. And drones could make the department's arduous mountain rescues more efficient, allowing firefighters to find a distressed hiker trapped when it's hotter than 110 degrees out.ĭrone use in public safety operations is becoming commonplace. McDade points to important uses for the fire department: Drones could fly over a warehouse fire, identifying a sagging roof or hotspots. "We think unlimited, how much these drones are going to help us," said Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade. But the use of the tech for public safety is likely to raise serious questions of privacy and surveillance in the coming months, particularly once it falls into the hands of Phoenix cops.Īnd that is the plan, officials say, although the expansion of the technology beyond the fire department is still subject to council approval.
![phoenix drone phoenix drone](https://www.psabrowse.com/catalog/images/DRC-LSX10.jpg)
On June 1, the city of Phoenix will launch a new drone program, which will first outfit fire mountain rescue crews with the technology, and then expand to other departments - including the Phoenix police.įire officials say the drones are a breakthrough technology for their operations, giving firefighters a way to scope out a dangerous scene from afar. If you're hiking along a hot and dusty trail this summer and spy a drone in the sky, it could be the Phoenix Fire Department, responding to a crisis on the mountain from above.