Police Drone Nabs Vehicle Burglary Suspect in Santa Monica as ‘Futuristic’ Surveillance Becomes Reality

Police successful California arrested a antheral suspected of burglarizing cars adjacent the Santa Monica Pier implicit the Fourth of July weekend. And portion usually that wouldn’t beryllium a peculiarly notable event, the communicative down it feels similar the benignant of happening we whitethorn commencement to spot much often. Why? The apprehension lone happened acknowledgment to a drone surveillance programme the Santa Monica Police Department archetypal launched successful precocious 2021.

“On July 6th, our drone was returning to the presumption from a vigor telephone erstwhile the aviator decided to spell survey the assemblage concern adjacent the Pier and formation lots. As helium was flying implicit Lot 1 North (the ample batch conscionable northbound of the Pier), the aviator noticed a antheral taxable wandering done the batch acting suspiciously,” Santa Monica PD said successful a press release.

The constabulary connection explains that the drone observed the fishy usage a screwdriver and different instrumentality to punch unfastened a fastener connected a conveyance earlier climbing wrong for astir 2 minutes.

“While helium was successful the vehicle, the aviator called for officers to respond to the lot,” the connection continued. “While they were connected the way, the fishy utilized the aforesaid tactics to interruption into different vehicle, this clip a truck. By this time, the aviator guided responding officers to the close enactment successful the parking lot. Officers recovered the fishy successful possession of aggregate stolen items and placed him nether apprehension for Vehicle burglary and assorted different theft crimes.”

Santa Monica PD posted the video to YouTube and Facebook, which shows however everything went down.

Santa Monica’s constabulary drone program, officially known arsenic the “Drone arsenic a First Responder” initiative, has been utilized successful a assortment of ways implicit the past 2 years, nabbing a location burglar and uncovering a antheral who assaulted a 73-year-old woman. But obviously, the programme has been arguable fixed the Orwellian vibes that travel with having surveillance drones hovering overhead.

“Widespread constabulary usage of drones would beryllium a large change, with implications foreseeable and not,” the ACLU said successful a connection past year. “Yet determination are beardown reasons to judge that specified a satellite whitethorn beryllium coming faster than astir radical realize.”

“It’s important that we don’t sleepwalk into a satellite of wide aerial surveillance, that communities deliberation precise cautiously astir whether they privation drone surveillance, and, if they determine to licence immoderate operations, enactment successful spot guardrails that volition forestall those operations from expanding,” the radical said.

How adjacent are we to constabulary really conscionable utilizing the drone to apprehend a suspect? That portion isn’t clear. But you tin stake it’s not excessively acold off, fixed the information that Axon, the shaper of taser products, precocious acquired Dedrone. Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, precocious said successful a legislature proceeding that helium supports putting tasers connected drones.

The aboriginal is connected its way.