Today’s Op-Ed Reaction comes from the article
Huge increase in police drone use: Sensible solution or spies in the sky? By Mike White Published in the New Zealand newspaper The Post on September 5th
My initial reaction to the question posed in the title is spies in the sky. If government is good at anything it is good at expanding its power. If there is a way for a tool to be used in a coercive manner over time it will be used for that purpose, even if that was never the original intention.
White begins by noting that drone use by police in New Zealand has quadrupled in the last 2 years. He then notes that the police have gained certification to allow drones to be used “outside of normal constraints.”
Those constraints that the police do not have to abide by include flying below 120 meters, not flying over property or people without their permission and flying indoors.
The first question that arises is can anyone gain this certification or is it reserved for certain actors? If it is available to the general public then gaining certification shouldn’t be seen as a red flag. If the certification could only be obtained because they are police then it becomes more concerning.
White notes that Inspector Darren Russell sees drones serving 3 main purposes. They are search and rescue, aerial photography of crime and crash scenes and high risk situations.
White notes the international use of police drones including as first responders to emergency calls. I wonder what the efficacy of a drone as a first responder is and what level of satisfaction the person requesting emergency services had when a drone instead of a police officer arrived.
When noting the dangers White wrote: “In Israel, police used drones to fire tear gas at protestors in Jerusalem last year, and in China, they were used to enforce Covid regulations such as mask wearing, by flying over people and repeating official messages.”
These examples provide the destructive potential of police drones. A drone capable of firing tear gas is not a far step from a drone capable of firing live ammunition. Drones will be used in violation of privacy laws by police officers at some point in time. The real question is what punishment will those officers face? If it is not substantial drone use in violation of current law will become more and more invasive and more widespread and we will only wish that those drones were merely spies in the sky.
Read the article linked above and let me know your thoughts.
As they barreled along in the subway Alexander turned to Sammy and asked “who are your heroes?”
“Like me personally?”
“Societal. In my age there were Achilles, Odysseus, Ajax and so many more. I want to know who the new heroes are.”
“Those are Greek dudes right?”
“Yes.” Alexander said disdainfully.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me cus I ain’t super booky?”
“I assume that means you don’t read much.”
“The last time I picked up a book was like third grade man. I live in the streets.”
“You have no place of domicile?”
“Dom a what?”
“A dwelling. A place where you sleep.”
“You take things too literally. I’m just sayin I was always roaming the streets. I had an apartment. It was small, so I spent as much time as possible outside in the city.”
“Who are the heroes of your age?” Alexander asked trying to get the conversation back on track.”
“I don’t know man. Everyone is so divided these days.” Sammy hedged as he looked around the subway to see who might be listening.
“Do you know of the Trojan War?”
“That’s the one with the horse. Right?”
“I have much to ...
