NYPD's Labor Day Drone Surveillance Sparks Privacy Concerns

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has announced its plans to employ surveillance drones over Labor Day weekend, intensifying concerns over privacy. Assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry stated that these drones will be deployed in response to both non-priority and priority calls, particularly to monitor backyard parties and gatherings.

This announcement was made during a security briefing addressing J’ouvert, an annual Caribbean festival marking the end of slavery that draws thousands of participants to the streets of Brooklyn.

"For example, if we have any 311 calls on our non-emergency line, where if a caller states there is a large crowd, a large party in the backyard, we're going to be utilizing our assets to go up, go check on the party... and we'll be able to determine how many resources we need to send to that location for this weekend...," said Daughtry.

Privacy and civil liberties advocates have expressed deep concerns about this move, questioning whether it violates existing laws on police surveillance. New York Civil Liberties Union privacy and technology strategist Daniel Schwarz referred to this development as a "troubling announcement" and raised the issue of whether it complies with the 2020 POST Act, which requires transparency in the NYPD's surveillance tactics. Critics argue that deploying drones in such a manner represents a concerning expansion of surveillance capabilities.

New York City has seen a significant increase in the use of drones by its police department, with data showing 124 drone deployments so far in the year, compared to just four in the entirety of 2022, as counted by US media.

Mayor Eric Adams has shown support for further drone integration into policing. However, privacy advocates caution that regulations have not kept pace with technological advancements, potentially enabling intrusive surveillance that would be illegal if conducted by human officers.

"One of the biggest concerns with the rush to roll out new forms of aerial surveillance is how few protections we have against seeing these cameras aimed at our backyards or even our bedrooms," said Albert Fox Cahn, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project executive director.

While a spokesperson for Mayor Adams shared guidelines for private drone operators in the city, there is no clarity on the NYPD's specific policies for drone surveillance. Approximately 1,400 police departments are utilizing drones in various capacities across the US, with the ACLU anticipating a substantial increase in their usage. Federal regulations generally restrict drone flights to the operator's line of sight, although many police departments have sought exemptions.