Drones (H 7756)

In April, the ACLU testified before the House Judiciary committee in support of this legislation to restrict the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, by law enforcement. Through a combination of increasingly cheaper, more sophisticated technology and financial incentives provided by the federal government, law enforcement entities nationwide have begun obtaining and using drones.  Yet, the laws protecting us from misuse have not caught up with the technology or the demand. This legislation would have generally required that a warrant based on probable cause or reasonable suspicion be obtained prior to drone surveillance, that surveillance be conducted only on an articulated target, and that any data captured on a non-target individual must be deleted within 24 hours. The committee did not vote on the bill.