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The Police Commission on Tuesday approved a year-long test of drones by theLAPD, allowing the police department to become the largest in the nation to try using the controversial devices.
The 3-1 vote was met by jeers from dozens of people who crowded the Police Commission’s meeting room, many of whom repeatedly urged the civilian oversight panel to reject the proposal.
“Shame on you!” some shouted. “Shame on you!”
That frustration spilled outside the LAPD’s downtown headquarters as protesters settled in the middle of 1st and Main streets, chanting and holding signs as they denounced the decision. Officers ultimately led four people away in handcuffs.
But many residents have said they’re still wary.
Dozens of people spoke out against LAPD drones during four community meetings held in late August. When the LAPD solicited written feedback, only 97 of the 1,675 emails it received had encouraged the department to move forward with the program, according to an assistant chief.
Some groups have amplified their opposition in the days leading up to the Police Commission’s vote. The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition — which protested the LAPD’s first look at drones in 2014 and the Sheriff’s Department’s use of them now — sent commissioners a letter Monday demanding that they vote down the drones.
“The people of Los Angeles have spoken,” the letter read. “Now the responsibility to uphold the peoples’ trust lies with you, the civilian Board of Police Commissioners.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said it too opposes the use of drones by the LAPD, writing in its own letter to the commission that the proposed program “poses serious risks to the privacy and civil rights of Los Angeles residents.”
Melanie Ochoa, a staff attorney at the ACLU, said concern over “mission creep” — the idea that police will steadily, quietly expand use of the devices — is one of the most significant concerns. Although the LAPD’s proposed policy outlines circumstances when drones could be flown, she said, “there’s nothing that stops this list from being expanded.”
“Beyond just what’s in the policy today, it’s also a question of what’s in the policy tomorrow,” she said.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lapd-drones-20171017-story.html
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First stingrays, now drone surveillance. How soon until they weaponize these under the guise of protecting officer lives?
The 3-1 vote was met by jeers from dozens of people who crowded the Police Commission’s meeting room, many of whom repeatedly urged the civilian oversight panel to reject the proposal.
“Shame on you!” some shouted. “Shame on you!”
That frustration spilled outside the LAPD’s downtown headquarters as protesters settled in the middle of 1st and Main streets, chanting and holding signs as they denounced the decision. Officers ultimately led four people away in handcuffs.
But many residents have said they’re still wary.
Dozens of people spoke out against LAPD drones during four community meetings held in late August. When the LAPD solicited written feedback, only 97 of the 1,675 emails it received had encouraged the department to move forward with the program, according to an assistant chief.
Some groups have amplified their opposition in the days leading up to the Police Commission’s vote. The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition — which protested the LAPD’s first look at drones in 2014 and the Sheriff’s Department’s use of them now — sent commissioners a letter Monday demanding that they vote down the drones.
“The people of Los Angeles have spoken,” the letter read. “Now the responsibility to uphold the peoples’ trust lies with you, the civilian Board of Police Commissioners.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said it too opposes the use of drones by the LAPD, writing in its own letter to the commission that the proposed program “poses serious risks to the privacy and civil rights of Los Angeles residents.”
Melanie Ochoa, a staff attorney at the ACLU, said concern over “mission creep” — the idea that police will steadily, quietly expand use of the devices — is one of the most significant concerns. Although the LAPD’s proposed policy outlines circumstances when drones could be flown, she said, “there’s nothing that stops this list from being expanded.”
“Beyond just what’s in the policy today, it’s also a question of what’s in the policy tomorrow,” she said.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lapd-drones-20171017-story.html
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First stingrays, now drone surveillance. How soon until they weaponize these under the guise of protecting officer lives?
