Lawmakers Must Act Now to Prevent Armed Police Drones

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is warning today about a regulatory gap around armed police drones. This month, the CEO of Skydio, which supplies drones to police departments nationwide, said the company won't restrict customers from weaponizing its devices. Meanwhile, a company called Campus Guardian Angel is launching pilot programs this fall in Georgia and Florida schools, testing drones designed to confront active shooters by swarming, crashing into, or firing irritants at them. According to the EFF, this creates serious risks. In chaotic situations, drones deploying physical harm could easily injure bystanders or good Samaritans by accident. The technology has been tested only on stationary mannequins in controlled settings, and it's unclear what happens if a shooter fires at the drone itself, potentially endangering people fleeing in the background. The EFF argues that without clear legislation, cities shouldn't procure weaponized drones, and any multi-purpose drones should be explicitly banned from deploying deadly force or less-lethal weapons like pepper spray, tasers, or kinetic strikes. Lawmakers, the EFF says, need to act now.

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