A civil liberties group in Kentucky says there are currently no state laws on the books regulating the use of drones by law enforcement groups.
That’s why the Kentucky ACLU is supporting a bill in the General Assembly that would prohibit the police from using drones to collect evidence on an individual without first getting a warrant.
Kentucky ACLU program director Kate Miller said her group doesn’t know of any cases where law enforcement groups in the state have violated privacy concerns by using drones that way.
“We know that a number of law enforcement agencies across the country have either borrowed drones from the federal government, or they have requested permission to use drones from the FAA. And, in their requests, they outline some of the reasons they want to use a drone. And a lot of those reasons are great, like to help look for missing people,” said Miller.
Miller says the Kentucky House Bill would also allow police to use drones to take images of things like train derailments and chemical spills, with no warrant necessary.
