A new North Dakota law would allow drones to fire pepper spray, rubber bullets and tazing blasts from the sky, all because a lobbyist pulled the right strings.
House Bill 1328 was originally meant to restrict law enforcement’s use of drone’s for privacy-invading surveillance, but a powerful lobbyist reportedly prevented a restriction on the use of “less than lethal” force from drones, The Daily Beast reports.
“Less than lethal” means rubber bullets, tear gas, sound cannons, pepper spray, and Tasers. The bill was signed into law in April.
The bill was originally written to require a warrant before using drones to collect evidence in a criminal investigation. Bruce Burkett of the North Dakota Peace Officer’s Association was reportedly allowed to change the law so it allowed police to use the drones to fire from the sky as long as it wasn’t lethal force.
The law has implications not only for normal criminal investigations, but also for crowd control. Riots in cities like Baltimore forced police to cede large swaths of the city.
Taking back these areas of the city would have been dangerous for protesters, but a fleet of drones patrolling the streets and enforcing curfews with pepper spray is not beyond reason.
Media reports revealed that law enforcement used drones to monitor the Baltimore riots from the skies. The next question is if the surveillance force will become a local air force.
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