Drones will be increasingly used by the NOPD as first responders around the city. This has many people worried about potential misuse and overt surveillance. Former NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas says the drones make it more efficient for the police presence to be directed to the scenes where they’re truly needed. He points to auto accidents, shootings or stabbings, and searches for missing children as particularly useful scenarios for the drones.
Serpas points out that police drones are facing the same public backlash that surveillance cameras once did, he hopes that (like crime cameras) time and a solid track record of proper use will ease the public's collective mind. "Of course it would give people who are concerned about new technologies and new supervision strategies cause for concern. I get it. I was here in 2001 when people said if you put these surveillance cameras on utility poles, they're going to ruin our lives as free Americans. 25 years later, that's absolutely not what happened," noted the former New Orleans police chief.Serpas says that while he empathizes with public concerns about mass surveillance, especially given former missteps by police departments both national and local regarding privacy issues, this technology is greatly beneficial for first responders. "This technology is changing American policing across the country for the good. I hope the public can see that," he went on to note.
Former NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas says that, like crime cameras, the technology is facing ultimately unrealistic concerns
Former NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas says that, like crime cameras, the technology is facing ultimately unrealistic concerns
