San Francisco's police department is testing six drones with license-plate readers to track suspects in high-speed chases. They can stay airborne for 40 minutes and have already led to arrests, but the program is limited to chases only, not general surveillance.
San Francisco's Police Department has a new way of fighting crime, and I've gotta say, it's pretty cool, but it does kind of present some big brother issues. Voters previously passed a ballot measure allowing the use of drones and surveillance cameras to help reduce crime. Drones can fly through the air at incredible speeds. They can maneuver around buildings a lot easier than cars sitting in traffic, so they really improve high-speed chases and can increase situational awareness. Combine that with the automated license plate reading system that's being piloted right now, and you might have something that can really help out the police. Apparently 6 drones are currently in use in this initial piloting program for the technology, and it's already resulted in multiple arrests, including multiple armed auto burglary suspects. These drones aren't allowed to be used for like general surveillance, and realistically it's not really possible. They can only fly for like 40 minutes at a time. But I could see if you improve the technology substantially and take it to the extreme, it does kind of give rise to some Big Brother issues. Let me know what you think in the comments.
