NYPD Drone Program Faces Scrutiny over Lack of Oversight
A scathing new report from the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) has exposed significant flaws in the NYPD’s rapidly expanding drone program. Released on December 18, 2024, the report alleges a lack of proper supervision, disregard for established chain-of-command protocols, and insufficient clarity regarding the capabilities of the department’s unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs).
The DOI’s investigation focused on the NYPD’s compliance with the 2020 Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, designed to ensure accountability in the department’s use of surveillance technologies.The report, led by Inspector-General Jeanene Barrett, found that while drone usage has increased considerably, the NYPD has failed to adhere to its own established guidelines.
The report further criticizes the NYPD’s publicly available Impact and Use Policy (IUP) for drone operations,issued in September 2023. According to the DOI, the IUP fails to fully disclose crucial details about the drones’ capabilities, including mapping technologies, interaction systems, and even the presence of a device capable of shattering glass. The report also highlights the IUP’s inadequate coverage of potential health and safety risks, as well as the risks of property damage.
“NYPD’s increase in drone usage in recent years has raised privacy concerns related to how drones are used to conduct police surveillance,” stated Inspector-General Barrett. “The recommendations in this report call on the NYPD to enhance its unmanned aircraft systems’ impact and use policy by providing additional details about the drone program and drone capabilities, thereby increasing public transparency related to [its] use of this technology.”
increased Drone Use,Decreased Accountability
The DOI’s findings have sparked renewed debate about the balance between public safety and individual privacy in the age of advanced surveillance technology. The report’s recommendations emphasize the need for greater transparency and stricter adherence to established protocols within the NYPD’s drone program. The implications extend beyond new York City, raising broader questions about the responsible deployment of drones by law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Concerns about the potential for misuse of drone technology, including unwarranted surveillance and potential violations of civil liberties, are central to the ongoing discussion. The report serves as a stark reminder of the importance of robust oversight and accountability mechanisms to ensure the ethical and responsible use of such powerful tools.
?resize=700,452 700w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=768,496 768w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=1200,775 1200w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=1536,992 1536w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=384,248 384w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=900,581 900w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=1600,1033 1600w, https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-18-at-11.59.17-AM.jpg?resize=50,32 50w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”/>During the Adams governance, the NYPD has increasingly relied upon drones for various purposes — from attempting to locate lost swimmers on the city’s beaches; to assisting the FDNY in battling wildfires; to monitoring protests; and to locating alleged criminals.
In November, Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD brass announced a new drone first responder program in Central Park and at five other police precincts across the city to add extra sets of eyes on the communities.
“We are leveraging the latest technology to enhance the NYPD’s emergency-response capabilities, remotely sending drones to the exact longitude and latitude of where an emergency call comes and sometiems in as little as a minute,” Mayor Adams said during the Nov. 13 announcement. “These drones will mean more efficient policing and will help increase the safety of our responding NYPD officers and New Yorkers.”
But the DOI’s report released Wednesday found that the NYPD’s IUP concerning drones did not “sufficiently disclose all of the information required by the POST Act, and does not provide a complete and accurate picture of all aspects of NYPD” drone operations in practise.”
Such as, though the NYPD’s IUP requires that all drone deployments are operated and supervised by the Technical Assistance and Response Unit (TARU), the DOI study found that multiple units within the department had their own drone programs — including the Transit Bureau, the Highway Patrolos’ Collision Technician Group, the Emergency Services Unit, the Counterterrorism Division and the office of the Chief of Department.
moreover,the study found that the commanding officer for a newly-formed Drone Team within the NYPD that consolidated several operational units reports directly to the Deputy Commissioner of Operations,Kaz Daughtry,rather than Chief of Department jeffrey Maddrey,which is in conflict with the chain of command outlined in the NYPD IUP.
the NYPD’s drone policy also does not reflect that flight log information for the drones is now captured in the city’s FORMS database, so TARU was no longer required to maintain such logs. it also did not disclose the potential risks for the devices’ lithium-ion batteries,which have been known as notorious firestarters around the city in recent years.
“drones can be a critical public safety tool capable of enhancing NYPD operations,” said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “However, this report found that NYPD’s impact and use policies do not fully and accurately describe the Department’s unmanned aircraft systems’ practices in certain respects and issued key recommendations to achieve that goal.”
The full DOI report can be found online at nyc.gov/doi.
Path of change
The DOI issued 10 recommendations for the NYPD to follow, all of which focus on updating its IUP for drone operations — including clearly outlining the approval, supervision and reporting structure for drone operations; listing all drone capabilities; fully disclosing health and safety impacts; and clearly establishing that the automated flight log information should be posted in FORMS, rather than maintained by TARU.
amNewYork Metro reached out to the NYPD for comment and is awaiting a response.
The report did not come as a surprise to Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) — a nonprofit watchdog that aims to stop mass surveillance and reinforce individual rights to privacy.
Cahn told amNewYork Metro that the DOI report “makes clear that the NYPD surveillance apparatus continues to brazenly break the law, and it’s long past time that the City Council takes action.”
“When it comes to NYPD’s illegal drone surveillance, the sky’s the limit,” Cahn said. “The POST act never imagined a mayor who would so openly condone breaking the law, and the Council must amend the POST Act to hold the NYPD to account. The NYPD’s drone program is blatantly illegal,but it’s also a massive waste of money,sending drones to New Yorkers who actually need human help in an emergency.”
