Big brother may be watching and listening more closely than ever as the NYPD
considers using drones and other gizmos to fight crime in the city. Police Commissioner
Bill Bratton said the unmanned machines equipped with cameras and tiny microphones
could help spy on crime hotspots like housing projects, where shootings are up about
32% this year. “Myself, I’m supportive of the concept of drones, not only for police but for
public safety in general,” Bratton said Tuesday. “It’s something that we actively keep
looking at and stay aware of.”Bratton, speaking in front of the City Council’s Public Safety
Committee, said the drones could also help the FDNY more quickly determine the extent
of a fire. John Miller, the NYPD’s head of intelligence, said cops have been studying flying
drones. They’re looking at “what’s on the market, what’s available.” Miller said the NYPD
has yet to deploy a drone, but called the technology a potentially valuable weapon against
crime.
While drones don’t appear to be part of the city’s immediate future, the NYPD has already
budgeted $500,000 for a pilot program to test gunshot detectors. Sensors connected to
police cameras detect the sound of gunshots and then direct cops to their origin. The
NYPD tested the detectors in Brownsville, Brooklyn, in 2011 but the program never
expanded citywide. The expense for the new round of gadgets would have to first be
approved by City Council and Mayor de Blasio, who has been supportive of the idea
of shot detectors in the past. Miller said the gunshot detection system could be tied
in with cameras which could include drones to give cops a photograph of a shooter.
Bratton sat on the board of ShotSpotter, a company that makes the detectors, before
returning to his post as the city’s top cop in January. He said the bidding process hasn’t
begun. The gunshot devices are already being used in other cities, including Oakland
and Milwaukee, with mixed results. Some of the detectors failed to decipher fireworks
from gunshots. Bratton said other cities have found that between 50% and 70% of their
shootings go unreported to 911 meaning the detectors may fill a gap in tracking crime.
He said Newark, Chicago and Boston are also using shot detectors but he’s heard that
cops don’t always get to the scene quickly enough to make a difference. With the drones,
he envisions a plethora of constitutional issues dogging the NYPD. “Can you look into
somebody’s house? Can you fly over their backyard?” he asked. “There’s an unlimited
number of scenarios you can think of where drones can be used.” Miami police use
mini-drones but are required to get a warrant or somebody’s life must be in danger
for their usage. A plan by Seattle police to send miniature, unmanned helicopters
carrying night-vision cameras aloft was scrapped last year after heated criticism
from citizens concerned about privacy rights, Reuters reported. It’s been an open
secret for years that New York’s Finest have been eyeing drones as prospective aerial
surveillance tools. Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties
Union, echoed the concerns of Seattle residents. “Drones can be useful in law enforcement,”
Lieberman said, “but they should not become a vehicle for widespread, secret surveillance
of the private space of innocent New Yorkers.”
Source: NY Daily News