Some of the worst fears about drones are quickly coming true. Residents of North Dakota now have to be concerned about the use of “non-lethal” weapons on police drones. The initial HB 1328 bill had a bit of a different idea – originally drafted by Republican Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, it would have prohibited the use of armed drones entirely and would have required police to obtain a search warrant to use a drone to look for evidence. He added that the discussion to add non-lethal weaponry into the bill was based around “future developments” in drone technology. The specific loophole now creates an opening for the drones to be equipped with non-lethal weapons.
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Becker wanted all weapons to be banned from these drones but said he will have to live with the bill as it is written.
Becker told the Daily Beast of the amendment, “This is one I’m not in full agreement with. I wish it was any weapon”, he said at a hearing in March, the Daily Beast reports. “In my opinion there should be a nice, red line: Drones should not be weaponized. Period”. Just last month, a kid in Connecticut posted a YouTube video of a modified drone that he equipped to remotely fire shots from a handgun.
According to the FAA, 401 drone operations were reported between 2012 and 2014 in Grand Forks, but Sheriff Bob Rost and Sheriff deputy Al Frazier, who pilots the drones, report only 21 missions, writes Glawe.
The outcome in North Dakota is one step forward and arguably two steps back.
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In what appears to be a case of unintended consequences, a recently enacted North Dakota law means police in that state can now arm unmanned aerial vehicles with non-lethal weapons. Glawe describes the police having a “trust us” mentality that they won’t abuse their authority with drones, but he points out that police in North Dakota actually got the help of a Department of Homeland Security border drone without a warrant in order to track down a man accused of stealing cattle (how very North Dakota).
