Tuesday, August 05, 2014

San Jose police: We regret secrecy about drone

San Jose police officials said Tuesday that they "should have done a better job of communicating" with the public about the department's recent purchase of a drone that hasn't yet taken to the skies.

Officials released a statement a week after they came under fire from civil rights activists for not informing the public of the device either before or after its purchase in January.

On Tuesday, the department said it will create a community outreach plan before deploying the unmanned aircraft system.

San Jose police bought the drone for just under $7,000 in federal grant money to help the bomb squad assess threats and inspect explosives, officials said.

However, eight months later, the department has not developed guidelines for the use of its Century NEO 660 V2 hexacopter, and officials haven't applied for Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly the drone.

The purchase was approved by the City Council with no public debate and was not publicized until Vice's Motherboard and MuckRock obtained public records on the drone.

In its statement, the Police Department issued a mea culpa of sorts.

"In hindsight, SJPD should have done a better job of communicating the purpose and acquisition of the (drone) to our community," officials said. "The community should have the opportunity to provide feedback, ask questions, and express their concerns before we move forward with this project."

Police will develop an outreach plan, but Officer Albert Morales, a department spokesman, said the department is "still working on a timeline and details." He said police will not deploy the device until they do outreach, develop a policy for drone use and get federal approval.

Civil rights activists have long opposed law enforcement-run drones, saying they may be abused and used for unauthorized surveillance. According to the FAA, about 80 law enforcement agencies were operating drones in 2013.

Opposition has been strong enough in the Bay Area to prevent the sheriff's offices in Alameda and San Mateo counties from acquiring drones.

In the San Jose police statement, department officials acknowledged that they might use the drone for more than just assisting bomb technicians.

"Another possible use would be for situations that threaten public safety," the statement reads. "These could include dangers such as active shooters, hostage-taking, or other such tactical situations where lives might be in immediate danger."

That troubled Nicole Ozer, an attorney who heads the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Civil Liberties Project.

"The City Council had been told it was approving a drone for hazardous material," she said. "Now, in this statement, the SJPD says it wants to use it for any situation that will threaten public safety. As you can imagine, that can be very broad scenarios."

Ozer said the drone was "only approved because community members were kept in the dark. There hasn't been any public debate about whether there should be drone use at all."

The San Jose police force is the first in the Bay Area to acquire a drone. But because it was funded by the Department of Homeland Security's Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative, 13 other bomb squads in the region may be allowed to use it as well.

Story and Comments:  http://www.sfgate.com

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