In the United States of America, more and more police departments have began implementing drone programs.  In fact, Rhode Island (the country’s smallest state) is the only state in the country yet to begin using drones for police activity.  The NYPD was one of the first major police departments to begin using drones.  As the nation’s largest police department, they set the precedent for how drones can be utilized by police officers.  Soon after, drone programs were implemented into the nation’s next busiest police departments, Chicago and Los Angeles.  While many large departments are using drones, they have become a vital tool for smaller police departments throughout the country because of how inexpensive they are to purchase and operate.  One such state whose smaller police departments are beginning to use drones is Maryland, one of our capital’s neighboring states.

In Maryland, there are already six police and emergency agencies utilizing drone technology.  These agencies include, the Annapolis Office of Emergency Management, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and EMS Department, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and EMS, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department, and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.  This past May, the Howard County Police Department established a twenty person work group to determine how drones could help the department as a replacement for the aviation program they had disbanded in April.  The county is anticipating a large deficit, so they have ended the use of planes or helicopters for police matters.  This is set to save the county around $1.8 million over the next four years.  The group announced this past November that it plans to purchase three drones that will cost the district only $38,000.

Anytime a police or government agency says that they will begin to use drones there are always concerns of civilian privacy rights being violated.  This is one of the primary reasons why the city of Baltimore, the largest police department in Maryland, has yet to adopt a drone program.  In 2016, Baltimore began using a controversial aerial surveillance program without the public’s knowledge, sparking outrage.  Which is why Howard Police Chief Lisa Myers said one of the first steps the group took was to contact the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) to help set up guidelines for the use of drones that will protect their citizen’s civil liberties.  Chief Myers said, “We want to make sure our citizens feel comfortable with us using drones.”  According to the official police release the drones will be used to  “ensure the community can benefit from drone technology without privacy concerns”.

The release went on to describe situations in which they plan to use drones as ones in which “life and safety are at risk” such as in the case of a missing person or at the scene of an accident.  Chief Myers also pointed out that the images collected by the drones would be used for the immediate moment only, not to be saved for further use.  As pointed out in the release statement, data collected by the drones would only be retained for “specific and articulable grounds”, meaning if they provide evidence for an active investigation.

As more police departments look for ways to implement drones into their procedures they can look to the Howard County Police Department for guidance.  The county is taking every measure possible to ensure that they are able to take advantage of this technology in a way that benefits police and civilians.  They are taking a total transparency approach to keep the public comfortable.  They are sending officers to community events to share information on the drone policies and answer any questions.  They are keeping up with recommendations from the ACLU to maintain that their community’s 4th Amendments rights are met.  Chief Myers went on to say, “I really believe the use of drone technology will help us respond to crime scenes faster and more efficiently… We’re just excited about leveraging new technology.”  The Howard County Police Department has already purchased the drones and begun to train several deputies to operate them.  The official field test for the program is set to begin this January and progress into the new year.

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