Police Drone Backlash Addressed in New Public Safety Report

Amid growing public concern over police drone deployments — particularly their use in monitoring protests and public gatherings — a new white paper seeks to shift the narrative. Authored by the Life Safety Alliance (LSA), Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience, and the Global Consortium of Law Enforcement Training Executives (GCLETE), the 32-page report offers a data-driven defense of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in law enforcement, while emphasizing the need for civil liberties safeguards and transparency.

The report rebuts growing calls from civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to halt or scale back drone programs, particularly Drone as First Responder (DFR) initiatives. Instead, it outlines a framework for responsible deployment, supported by legal precedent, policy examples and a broad sampling of real-world success stories, drawn from hundreds of documented deployments.

A Data-Driven Case for Drones

According to the report, law enforcement drone usage has increased by 150% since 2018, due in large part to its effectiveness in mission-critical scenarios: locating missing persons, managing hazardous events, reducing officer risk during tactical operations, and even facilitating emergency response after natural disasters.

Michael Gips, LSA president and co-author of the report, told SecurityInfoWatch the team aimed to address both the promise and the pitfalls of drone deployment.

“Civil libertarians have legitimate concerns,” he said, “but sometimes they are framed in extreme ways, with use of terms like ‘surveillance state’ or ‘spying eyes in the sky,’ or other language meant to raise alarm.” Gips pointed to the imbalance between speculative harms and documented benefits. “Even with this promised parade of horribles, we’ve seen very few substantive complaints given the number of drone flights that occur around the country.”

In contrast, the white paper, lists dozens of documented success stories, many involving life-saving outcomes. “We could have included hundreds,” said Gips. “Those beneficial uses dwarf the occasional transgressions, we’ve found.”

Civil Liberties Concerns: A Call for Oversight, Not Paralysis

The white paper pushes back against what it characterizes as a narrative of fear, while also acknowledging that civil liberties concerns must be taken seriously. “One beneficial practice,” Gips explained, “is inviting community representatives to public forums where authorities discuss the value of drones, acknowledge the public’s concerns, and perhaps review experiences from other jurisdictions.”

He pointed to Montgomery County, Md., as a model of transparency. The county publicly documents every drone deployment with a flight map and written narrative. “For example,” he said, “I can see that at 11:23 p.m. on May 8, 2025, a drone helped locate a person with a gun in Silver Spring so patrol officers could respond. That models transparency and accountability.”

Gips also recommended the creation of local law enforcement drone advisory councils with citizen members. “Including members of the public provides citizen oversight and exposes laypeople to the realities of modern policing, giving them a front-row view of how drones are deployed and their potential for saving lives and preventing injuries.”

Yet not all advocacy organizations believe such practices are sufficient. In contrast to the white paper’s findings, the ACLU has raised sharp concerns over law enforcement’s use of drones — particularly at public gatherings. In a March 2024 report titled Curbs Needed on Police Drone Surveillance of Public Gatherings, ACLU Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley warned that deploying drones over protests, parades and festivals could infringe on First Amendment rights and discourage people from participating in constitutionally protected activities.

Stanley argues that the low cost and ease of drone deployment could tempt police departments to use them routinely, leading to de facto mass surveillance. He emphasizes that this can have a chilling effect on free speech and assembly — especially in historically marginalized communities or when protests are directed at police conduct. The ACLU calls for strict limitations on drone use at public events, urging that such deployments be rare, justified by specific reasons, and governed by clear policies to ensure transparency and prevent abuse.

Against this backdrop of concern and debate, Paul Goldenberg, former DHS senior advisor and a chief contributor to the white paper, emphasized the need for thoughtful dialogue. “Now is the time to inform — not inflame — the public about how drones can serve communities while upholding civil rights,” he said.

From Model Policies to Measurable Standards

The white paper includes a model agency policy that mandates FAA compliance, strict data retention rules, prohibition on facial recognition and robust documentation requirements. It also promotes the “Five Cs” framework developed by the nonprofit DRONERESPONDERS, which emphasizes community engagement, civil liberties protection, legal compliance, command accountability and procedural clarity.

Gips said the frameworks included in the report were identified through multi-layered research, including “direct outreach to specific law enforcement agencies, review of relevant reports and articles, and analysis of agency-level, local, and state policies, ordinances, laws, guidelines, best practices, etc.” He added that the report’s legal foundation was built using standard legal research, and noted, “One of the authors, me, is an attorney.”

Although the authors didn’t conduct an exhaustive audit of all U.S. drone programs, they did examine reports from civil liberties groups, investigatory bodies and news sources. “Sometimes there are deficiencies, but the real question is how are they addressed?” Gips said. He pointed to a 2023 investigation by New York’s Department of Investigation, which found that the NYPD’s drone policies lacked detail about their capabilities.

“The NYPD has acknowledged the report and said it is reviewing the recommendations,” he said. “This is exactly how the system should work. We expect NYPD to take this seriously and make the necessary changes.”

In terms of metrics, Gips said departments should consider “data retention time limits, average time of retention documented, public notification frequency, and how much information is disclosed.” Operator certification and warrant compliance are two other areas he identified as suitable for measurable standards.

Addressing Equity and Unintended Consequences

While the white paper largely focuses on positive use cases, it doesn’t ignore the possibility of misuse. Gips noted that very few examples surfaced during the research process, but some claims of inequitable drone deployment have emerged.

“Residents of Chula Vista, Calif., have complained that police drones more frequently fly over low-income neighborhoods than wealthier neighborhoods,” he said. “But police there say it’s because most 911 calls come from poorer areas.”

Rather than dismissing these concerns, the white paper recommends ongoing dialogue and adjustments to ensure that deployments do not reinforce inequities.

Ultimately, the white paper makes a firm case that halting drone deployments would sacrifice a valuable tool at a time when public safety agencies face severe personnel and resource challenges. The authors argue for robust safeguards and transparency — not prohibition.

“Let’s not use fear to undermine a tool that protects our communities,” said Dr. David Grantham, national security expert and co-author. “We need thoughtful policy, not paralysis.”