Connecticut May Become First US State To Allow Deadly Police Drones (reuters.com)

According to Reuters, Connecticut lawmakers are considering a new bill that would allow police to equip drones with potentially lethal weapons. The bill, which was approved overwhelmingly by the state legislature's judiciary committee on Wednesday, actually aims to ban weaponized drones, but exempts the ban from law enforcement agencies. From the report: Connecticut would become the first U.S. state to allow law enforcement agencies to use drones equipped with deadly weapons if a bill opposed by civil libertarians becomes law. The legislation was introduced as a complete ban on weaponized drones but just before the committee vote it was amended to exclude police from the restriction. "Data shows police force is disproportionately used on minority communities, and we believe that armed drones would be used in urban centers and on minority communities," said David McGuire, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Connecticut. "That's not the kind of precedent we want to set here," McGuire said of the prospect that Connecticut would become the first state to allow police to use lethally armed drones. If Connecticut's Democratic-controlled House passes the bill it will move to the Senate, which is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

Comments

WTF

[Anonymous Coward]

Who needs republicans when democrats arm the police like that. RIP civil liberties.

Re:Story is exactly the opposite of headline

[anegg]

I underwent firearms training in a US state that also permitted, according to statue law, deadly force to prevent a variety of felonies in addition to severe bodily harm to us or someone else. We were advised in class that any such use of deadly force by us, mere citizens, would most likely result in a homicide conviction. Statute law is one thing, case law and jury outcomes are another. Heck, in some US states you can be found guilty of homicide for using deadly force to protect yourself from death or grievous bodily harm if a jury (making a judgement after the fact and not in the heat of the moment) determines that you had the opportunity to flee and did not avail yourself of that opportunity - sometimes even if you are in your own home. So-called "castle doctrine" and "stand your ground" laws address these in some US states, but not all.

The police are generally not under any such limitations. There was a case in Maryland (when I resided there) where an officer used deadly force against an unarmed, naked man, and that was thought to be be ok because the officer, standing in the doorway of his cruiser, was able to determine that the use of deadly force was necessary to protect himself from that extreme threat. I was under no illusion as to what result I could expect in court if, as a homeowner, I used deadly force against an unarmed, naked intruder in my home. I would be laughed all the way to jail if I claimed I had reasonable (not bare) fear of death or grievous bodily harm from the unarmed, naked guy.

I don't think allowing drones to pack deadly force is a good idea at all, not for private citizens and especially not for the police. The militarization of police in the US is already a big problem, and his (robot-deployed lethal force) is a line that we (our society) is crossing, and it is not a good one. The use of the police robot armed with explosives to kill the guy in Texas http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/09/opinions/dallas-robot-questions-singer/ was the first foray across this line, and others will probably follow. Not good at all, in my opinion.

Another step towards making subjects out of citizens.

Re: TFA is lite on details

[PoopJuggler]

Peace officers have demonized themselves by acting like criminals and thugs.

What could possibly go wrong?

[jenningsthecat]

Of course, the security on police kill drones will be so good that they can't possibly be taken over by hackers. Innocent citizens will never he injured or killed by hijacked police drones, and if that does by some remote chance happen, the police will certainly not deny responsibility or disclaim liability. So I guess it's all good.