Police chases with a vehicle are dangerous. Accidents can happen, potentially injuring suspects, officers or even innocent bystanders. Police chases using helicopters are safer, but they are also expensive. It may not be viable to follow every single suspect by helicopter.
So what about using a drone? Drone technology has increased dramatically over the decades, so could a police department simply put a drone in the air to follow a suspect in their vehicle? Or would that be a violation of the suspect’s rights?
Drones are already in use
The police can and do use drones. In Dunwoody, a town in DeKalb County, Georgia, the police department already has drones that they use for traffic issues and much more. They use cameras similar to the Flock cameras used in parking lots. So it is certainly possible for a drone operator to simply follow a car or even a suspect on foot or on a bicycle.
Is this controversial? Yes. Across the United States, there have already been legal challenges to the use of drones. For instance, drones were used to take pictures of someone’s property, and then that individual claimed that it was a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights. Essentially, they argued that they had an expectation of privacy on their own property, but that was violated by a nonconsensual search with a drone.
Exactly how the legal situation develops over the years remains to be seen, but the case in Dunwoody illustrates that drones are already being used, even as these questions are being asked. If you are facing criminal charges, it is important to consider how the police gathered evidence and what legal defense options you have.
