Most Americans Say Cops Should Need Warrants to Use Drones

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By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2013-08-16 00:33:21 UTC

Drones are coming to American skies — actually, some are already here. Yes, they are not as scary as the ones that shoot hellfire missiles in Pakistan or Yemen, but Americans still have concerns about them.

Two out of three U.S. citizens say they would be concerned about their privacy if police start using drones, according to a recent poll by Monmouth University (.PDF). That's why 76% of them say law enforcement agencies should be required to get a warrant to use drones for surveillance.

See also: Student Tweets Entire History of US Drone Strikes

Despite these concerns, Americans support the use of drones for search and rescue missions (83% are in favor) and to monitor illegal immigration (62%). But they wouldn't be happy about having drones issue speeding tickets — only 21% say that's a good idea.

Yet, many aren't familiar with civilian and domestic drones at all — the type of unmanned aerial vehicles that might soon be flying over U.S. cities.

The poll asked: "How much have you read or heard about the use of unmanned surveillance drone aircraft by law enforcement agencies inside the United States — a great deal, some, just a little, or nothing at all?" Only 18% of the 1012 citizens polled answered "a great deal," and 29% said "some."

They might hear more about them soon. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act (.PDF), passed in 2012, orders the FAA to integrate drones into the domestic air space no later than Sept. 30, 2015. Currently, only hobbyists, certain academic institutions and law enforcement agencies like the Customs Border Patrol and the FBI have permission to fly drones — and there are restrictions.

Americans are apparently suspicious of law enforcement agencies using drones, as this poll suggests. Not only do they expect the police to get a warrant, but when asked about how concerned they'd be if police started using drones with "high tech cameras and recording equipment," almost half (49%) said "very concerned," and 20% said they would be somewhat concerned. Only 14% are "not at all concerned."

But when it comes to domestic drones, some gun-wielding Americans are already considering taking matters into their own hands.

Image: Flickr, Don McCullough

Topics: Drones, privacy, surveillance, U.S., US & World, warrant