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Howard County Police Launch One-Year Drone Field Test

HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) — The Howard County Police Department is launching a one-year field test to use drones in police operations, they announced Thursday.

The program is coming out of a recommendation in November from a workgroup that researched the technology for five months and proposed purchasing three drones for the field test.

Police have trained 10 officers as remote pilots, who will stay in their current assignments and respond to incidents when a drone is needed.

"This is another step forward in our commitment to the safety and security of our residents," said Police Chief Lisa Myers. "As technology evolves, our agency will continue to evolve with it to ensure we are providing the most effective ways to protect our communities. The drones can help us in search-and-rescue operations and provide real-time information in potentially dangerous crisis situations."

The department said it will follow public guidelines from the ACLU to alleviate privacy concerns from the community and will use the drones in situations where life and safety are at risk; when there are specific and articulable grounds to believe that the drone will collect evidence relating to criminal activity; or when there is a signed search warrant from a judge for areas covered under the Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals from unreasonable search and seizure.

They will not use drones for mass surveillance, and images taken by the drones will not be retained unless there's "reasonable suspicion that they contain evidence of criminal activity or are relevant to an ongoing investigation or pending criminal trial."

The drones cost $33,800 and were funded largely by a $20,000 contribution from the Howard County Police Foundation.

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