Unmanned drones have become increasingly popular in the military for carrying out tactical spying missions and air assaults. Here in Orange County, a new type of drone was just purchased by police.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has just revealed two new drones that were purchased to be used only in “unique circumstances,” such as when a hostage has been taken, dangerous chemicals spilled, a terrorist is on the loose or when someone is missing in remote woods, Sheriff Jerry Demings told the Orlando Sentinel.
The drone, called the Draganflyer X6, costs $25,000 each and look like nothing more than toy helicopters. While these drones don’t carry any type of weapon, some worry that the drones are just an easier method for police to spy on citizens in an ever diminishing society of privacy. Sheriff Demings, however, insists that individual privacy will not be threatened.
The University of Central Florida Police Department also has plans to fly drones of their own as part of their partnership with Next-Gen Global Technologies.
“NexGen’s partnership with the newest aerial drone technology company, Hoverfly, will allow for effective patrolling of all areas with a virtual birds eye view of the entire campus while using high resolution imagery to capture, record and transmit events in a 4G LTE and cloud-based wireless environment,” UCFPD Chief Richard Beary said, adding “We are negotiating a contract in order to implement these next generation technologies as soon as possible.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is currently awaiting authorization from the FAA to use their drones and hope to have them operational by this summer.
What do you think–are police drones a threat to personal privacy?
