Seattle Police To Roll Out Surveillance Drones with Infrared Cameras

10-25-2012 • http://www.prisonplanet.com, Steve Watson

The Seattle Police Department plans to deploy unmanned surveillance drones over the city as it has become one of the first law enforcement agencies in the US to be granted permission by the federal government to do so.

The unmanned craft will be fitted with surveillance cameras and an infrared “eye” that can see in the dark.

Officers planning to parade the drones tonight during a public presentation will display a Draganflyer X-6 drone weighing 4.5 pounds. The drone can travel up to 30 mph and can fly as high as 8,000 feet.

Privacy and civil rights concerns have been raised by the move, prompting police to issue a draft operating policy manual that states:

“…the onboard cameras will be turned … away from occupied structures, to minimize inadvertent video or still images of uninvolved persons.”

The manual also says, “All video and still images will be maintained in strict compliance with SPD policies and procedures”. It also claims that under no circumstances will the drones be used for “random surveillance.”