Drones & police departments : usage, law, issues, and recommendations

The report investigates the current capabilities and use cases for drones deployed by police departments in the United States and makes recommendations on their use. I use data published by the Bard College Center for the Study of the Drone, Muckrock, and news articles to establish an estimate of the current number and type of drones used by American police departments and how they are used. I investigate the current constitutional, federal, state, and local restrictions on the use of drones, finding that police departments may use them at their discretion unless circumscribed by state or local law. Finally, I provide recommendations as to how police departments should use drones according to use case.