Drone Use Takes Off on the Home Front
Drone Use Takes Off on the Home Front
The Wall Street Journal
By ANDY PASZTOR and JOHN EMSHWILLER
April 21, 2012
With little public attention, dozens of universities and law-enforcement agencies have been given approval by federal aviation regulators to use unmanned aircraft known as drones, according to documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests by an advocacy group.
Dozens of universities and law-enforcement agencies have been given approval by federal aviation regulators to use unmanned aircraft known as drones. Jennifer Valentino-DeVries reports on digits. Photo: AP.
The more than 50 institutions that received approvals to operate remotely piloted aircraft are more varied than many outsiders and privacy experts previously knew. They include not only agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security but also smaller ones such as the police departments in North Little Rock, Ark., and Ogden, Utah, as well the University of North Dakota and Nicholls State University in Louisiana.
The information, released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, came to light as the Federal Aviation Administration gears up to advance the widespread use of the drones. By the fall of 2015, Congress wants the agency to integrate remotely piloted aircraft throughout U.S. airspace.
Although the documents don’t indicate how the aircraft will be used, the disclosures likely will fuel privacy concerns involving drones.
On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas asked the acting administrator of the FAA to answer questions about the privacy implications of increased drone use.
Organizations That Have Sought to Use Drones
See a list of what groups have requested licenses from the FAA to use drones, and the status of that request. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> View Interactive <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Organizations That Have Sought to Use Drones
Police departments and universities nationwide have obtained licenses from the FAA to use drones, according to data obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group. See a list of what groups have requested licenses, and the status of that request. Click on column headers to sort.
|
U.S. Air Force
|
Active
|
|
Arlington (Texas) Police Department
|
Active
|
|
U.S. Army
|
Active
|
|
CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)
|
Expired
|
|
City of Herington, Kan.
|
Active
|
|
City of Houston Police Department
|
Expired
|
|
City of North Little Rock, Ark., Police Department
|
Active
|
|
Cornell University
|
Expired
|
|
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
|
Active
|
|
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) / CBP (Customs and Border Protection)
|
Active
|
|
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) / Science and Technology
|
Active
|
|
DOE (Department of Energy) – Idaho National Laboratory
|
Active
|
|
DOE (Department of Energy) – National Energy Technology Laboratory
|
Expired
|
|
Department of Agriculture – US Forest Service
|
Disapproved
|
|
Department of Agriculture – US Forest Service
|
Expired
|
|
Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service
|
Disapproved
|
|
Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service
|
Active
|
|
Department of the Interior – National Business Center/Aviation Management Directorate (NBC/AMD)
|
Active
|
|
DOJ (Department of Justice) – Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff (State unknown)
|
Expired
|
|
Eastern Gateway Community College
|
Active
|
|
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
|
Active
|
|
Gadsden Police Department (State unknown)
|
Active
|
|
Georgia Tech Police Department, Office of Emergency Preparedness
|
Disapproved
|
|
Georgia Tech Research Institute
|
Active
|
|
Hays County Emergency Service Office (State unknown)
|
Expired
|
|
Kansas State University
|
Active
|
|
Mesa County (Colo.) Sheriff’s Office
|
Active
|
|
Miami-Dade Police Department
|
Active
|
|
Middle Tennessee State University
|
Active
|
|
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
|
Active
|
|
Mississippi State University
|
Active
|
|
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (State unknown)
|
Expired
|
|
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
|
Active
|
|
U.S. Navy
|
Active
|
|
New Mexico Tech
|
Active
|
|
New Mexico State University Physical Sciences Laboratory (NMSU-PSL)
|
Active
|
|
Nicholls State University
|
Expired
|
|
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
|
Expired
|
|
Ogden (Utah) Police Department
|
Active
|
|
Ohio University
|
Active
|
|
Orange County Sheriff’s Office (State unknown)
|
Active
|
|
Otter Tail County (State unknown)
|
Disapproved
|
|
Polk County Sheriff’s Office (State unknown)
|
Active
|
|
Seattle Police Department
|
Active
|
|
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
|
Active
|
|
Texas A&M University – TEES (Texas Engineering Experiment Station)
|
Active
|
|
Texas Department of Public Safety
|
Expired
|
|
Texas State University
|
Active
|
|
University of Alaska Fairbanks
|
Active
|
|
University of Arizona
|
Expired
|
|
University of Colorado
|
Active
|
|
University of Connecticut
|
Active
|
|
University of Florida
|
Active
|
|
University of Michigan
|
Expired
|
|
University of North Dakota
|
Active
|
|
University of Wisconsin
|
Expired
|
|
USMC (United States Marine Corps)
|
Active
|
|
Utah State University
|
Active
|
|
Virginia Commonwealth University
|
Expired
|
|
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
|
Active
|
|
Washington State Department of Transportation
|
Expired
|
Source: Federal Aviation Administration, Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Many drones are designed to carry surveillance equipment, including video cameras, infrared thermal imagers, radar and wireless network ‘sniffers,’ ” the representatives wrote in their letter to Michael Huerta. Now that the FAA, under pressure from lawmakers and businesses, is pushing to increase the use of drones, it has “the responsibility to ensure that the privacy of individuals is protected and that the public is fully informed about who is using drones in public airspace and why,” they wrote.
The FAA declined to comment.
As part of the push to increase uses of civilian drones, nearly 50 companies are developing some 150 different systems, ranging from miniature models to those with wingspans comparable to airliners.
The FAA previously said it has approved dozens of nonmilitary uses of unmanned aircraft, ranging from law enforcement to firefighting to wildlife monitoring. Drones also have been used for news coverage, mapping and agricultural applications.
Read More
The University of North Dakota uses drones in connection with an undergraduate degree program in unmanned aircraft systems it started in 2009. Al Palmer, a university official involved in the program, said about 78 students have declared majors in the field and that graduates have found jobs with drone manufacturers or operators.
The North Little Rock police department has been working with a small pilot-less helicopter since 2008, said Sgt. Pat Thessing. It is currently training with the aircraft over unpopulated areas only, while it awaits FAA rules for use of such aircraft elsewhere. It hopes to use them for surveillance of high-crime neighborhoods, during drug investigations and other work.
The list obtained by the EFF represents all entities that have applied for drone permits, but doesn’t show how many drones each entity has, said Jennifer Lynch, a staff attorney with the group. FAA officials have talked about the existence of about 300 active permits.
Recipients of these special permits must fly in a certain geographic area outlined on their application. Currently, the FAA typically doesn’t allow drones to fly through airspace where commercial, business and private planes travel.
Ryan Calo, who conducts research into privacy and robotics at Stanford Law School, said the domestic use of drones will likely grow as more machines are brought back from war and as prices fall.
“The very same drone that was staking out a nest of insurgents and possibly shooting them could be deployed in New York for surveillance” after removal of weaponry, Mr. Calo said. He said the use of drones could spark a wider debate about privacy because people aren’t accustomed to such technology. “If you bring back a tank from Afghanistan, you don’t expect it to show up in a park,” he said.
— Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Andrew Morse contributed to this article.
Direct Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304331204577354331959335276.html?KEYWORDS=JENNIFER+VALENTINO-DEVRIES