Armed Law Enforcement Drones Possible Under CT Bill

A bill in Connecticut that would allow law enforcement to use lethally-armed aerial drones is causing controversy.

The bill passed through the Judiciary Committee and will head to the state House of Representatives for a full vote. Connecticut would become the first state in the nation that would allow law enforcement officers to equip drones with lethal weaponry.

Originally the bill totally banned the use of deadly weapons on drones, but it was amended before passing.
Connecticut is no stranger to discussion on armed drones.

Clinton teen Austin Haughwout gained national attention after he released videos of drones that were equipped with flamethrowers and a handgun. One of his YouTube videos has more than 3.8 million views. The Federal Aviation Administration announced it was going to investigate for any possible violations.

North Dakota became the first state to allow law enforcement agencies to use armed drones, but they are limited to less than lethal weapons such as tear gas, according to Newsweek.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut was quick to criticize the bill.

“This was originally a good bill to protect communities from unwarranted police drone surveillance and prevent police from weaponizing drones,” said Executive Director David McGuire. “The ACLU of Connecticut supports protecting people from unwarranted drone surveillance, but opposes the amendment to allow police to equip drones with lethal and “less-lethal” weapons.”

McGuire argued that the state has fallen behind when it comes to regulating law enforcement use of drones. At least three police departments in the state have begun to use drones and others have indicated they want to purchase drones for search and rescue operations, but are waiting for oversight rules.

So far 36 states have laws on the books regarding aerial drone usage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Proponents of the bill argued that they don’t want to tie law enforcement’s hands when it comes to dealing with emergency situations. Judiciary Committee Co-chair William Tong told CNN that the bill establishes basic guidelines for drone use and includes some law enforcement regulation. The Police Officers Standards and Training Council would establish guidelines for law enforcement drone use and the state legislature would make final approval on them.

Fellow Co-chair Paul Doyle said it’s conceivable police could use a lethally-armed drone in a terrorist situation.

Image of Haughwout drone via YouTube