When I look back over the course of my life at the plethora of science-fiction novels and movies about machines taking over the world and how the corrupt nature of humanity would attempt to harness the power of technology to oppress mankind in new and creative ways, it seems obvious these tales were more than just entertainment. They were warnings, messages designed to make us cautious about technological innovation and to pause and reflect on the ethical implications of advancements in the field.
That point seemed to go over the heads of well, pretty much everyone. In fact, a lot of the brightest minds in the tech world seemed to have viewed these stories as a playbook, which is why they continue to develop the very things we were warned against.
Here’s a prime example.
The Denver Police Department has officially launched a brand new program that will make use of drones to help officers answer 911 calls. I mean, we all know law enforcement departments are incredibly under staffed right now, thanks in large part to the push for defunding them that came in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020, but is it really a good idea to send drones as back up? This raises all kinds of concerns for the safety of the general public and that of police officers, plus all sorts of ethical issues.
According to The Daily Mail’s latest report:
The law enforcement agency that was recently defunded by millionsto pay for migrants is now launching its own drone program, along with other Colorado police departments. Robert White, the former chief of The Denver Police Department originally disagreed with the use of drones in 2013 and in 2018, and the agency’s only drone was shelved.
Now, the department is planning on using a $100,000 grant from the Denver Police Foundation to start the program. Denver police plan to buy several drones with that money, and begin their drone program within six to 12 months.
‘We would never simply replace calls-for-service response by police officers,’ Phil Gonshak, director of the department’s Strategic Initiatives Bureau told The Denver Post.
The drones are designed to respond to any calls for service where a person has physically requested the presence of a law enforcement officer on the scene. Gonshak then explained that if a fight broke out and a drone was deployed and found there was no actual fight and traffic wasn’t being impeded, police officers would immediately be rerouted to a different call.
He then clarified the main mission is to deploy the drones as first responders.
‘Basically, having stations on top of each one of our districts so we can respond with drones to critical needs or emergencies that arise throughout the city.’
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, based in Centennial, Colorado, has been using the robotic flying devices since 2017.
‘This really is the future of law enforcement at some point, whether we like it or not,’ Sgt. Jeremiah Gates, who leads the drone unit at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, said.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office currently has a total of 14 pilots that have, thus far, used 20 drones to do certain tasks, such as tracking fleeing suspects, looking for missing people, and providing SWAT teams with overhead surveillance, along with mapping crash or crime scenes.
Yes, these are all useful applications. Yes, they are moral, for the most part, and don’t really infringe on anyone’s rights. However, that doesn’t mean such abuses aren’t coming down the pike. What if someone uses a drone to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of an American citizen when it comes to unlawful searches and seizures?
Are any protocols being put in place to help prevent such violations from occurring?
While Gates is for the use of drones, American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado staff attorney Laura Moraff, is worried that law enforcement agencies using drones could impact people’s rights.
‘We’re worried about what it would mean if drones were really just all over the skies in Colorado,’ Moraff said. ‘We are worried about what that would mean for First Amendment activities, for speech and organizing and protesting — because being surveilled by law enforcement, including by drones, can change the way people speak and protest.’
Moraff also expressed concern that the deployment of drones could result in ‘more over-policing’.
The ALCU is wanting to turn this into a racial issue — of course — but the bottom line is, over-policing can happen to any community, regardless of color.
The drones aren’t exactly cheap either. In order to start a program in Denver, it will cost taxpayers a anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million.
Let’s hope there is sufficient enough pushback on the drone initiative that measures are put in place to protect the constitutional rights of the residents in Denver.