In Alameda, Calif., the sheriff's department is begging its local government to pay for one or two drones, which are unmanned aerial vehicles.

If the county's Board of Supervisors approves its request, its sheriff's department will be the first law enforcement agency in California to use a publicly funded drone, Ars Technica reports.

Both the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued the county would need to impose strict rules to prevent local police from invading individuals' privacy. (Cameras can be attached to drone aircraft.)