LAPD Approves 1-Year Drone Program, Protesters Are Outraged

On Tuesday (17th) morning, outside the LAPD Headquarters located at Downtown Los Angeles was crowded with protesters and reporters.

The reason was that the Police Commission approved their 1-year test drone program, according to the LA Times article.

The drone program was approved by a 3-1 vote the same morning. So how exactly will the LAPD use drones?

According to the LAPD’s draft proposal, the SWAT Team will use drones “to safely resolve dangerous, high-risk tactical situations”, and “improve situational awareness capabilities during natural disasters and catastrophic incidents.”

The document also says that the drone will be used solely during the following situations:

• Barricaded Suspects
• Active Shooter Incidents
• Assessments of Explosive Devices and Explosion
• Hostage Situations
• Natural Disasters
• Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Search and Rescue Operations; and,
• Perimeter Searches of Armed SUspects with Superior Firepower, an Extraordinary Tactical Advantage, or Who are Wanted for Assault with a Firearm Against a Police Officer

In addition, the drones will not be weaponized or used for surveillance.

Drone program approved 3-1 & crowd not happy pic.twitter.com/XJcWDT00pY

— Wes Woods II (@JournoWes) October 17, 2017

However, the opponents of the program are mainly arguing that the new program could be an invasion of privacy. After the LAPD announced the 3-1 vote, the protesters began shouting “shame on you” together (See the video above).

by Audrey Joung