The New York City police department plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings, including private events, over Labor Day weekend, officials announced Thursday.

“If a caller states there’s a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party,” Kaz Daughtry, the assistant NYPD Commissioner, said at a press conference.

The plan drew immediate backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates, raising questions about whether such drone use violated existing laws for police surveillance.

“It’s a troubling announcement and it flies in the face of the POST Act,” said Daniel Schwarz, a privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, referring to a 2020 city law that requires the NYPD to disclose its surveillance tactics. “Deploying drones in this way is a sci-fi inspired scenario.”

  • @Guy_Fieris_Hair
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    201 year ago

    It is illegal to have to many people at your own home? That’s a new one.

    • Stoneykins [any]
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      151 year ago

      Only in the context of like, fire safety. You can’t have more people in a building than it is designed to safely hold.

      Of course, cops use this safety regulation as an excuse to control people and be dicks…

      • @Weedbro
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        81 year ago

        Country of freedom my ass.

        • @Duamerthrax
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          51 year ago

          Nyc’s greatest act was convincing everyone they’re a liberal city.