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Mass. legislator pushes bill to set guidelines for police drone use

BOSTON — The 2017 Boston Marathon and the search for a missing 16-year-old in Randolph weeks later are two examples where police department in Massachusetts used unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones.

Currently there are no state laws governing police uses like these, but State Senator Patrick O’Connor from Weymouth wants to change that. He's pushing legislation that would prohibit police from conducting surveillance with a drone without a court order.

“We want to make sure no one gets their privacy invaded when they don't have a search warrant out for that specific purpose,” he said.

Drone technology has come a long way for consumers and non-military uses in the past decade, and Chris Grazioso, an instructor for UAV training and consulting company Dartdrones, said police are working to find ways to utilize it.

“Within the next five years every agency will find a way to get access to one whether they have their own, or if there is a regional one like the state has one but absolutely they will be out there,” he said.

O’Connor’s proposal would also prohibit police from using drones to monitor a person’s political, religious or social views, ban weaponized drones and require law enforcement to document and submit records of all drone use to the state.

“This is more of a forward thinking bill to try and preempt, that’s there no regulations in place. We do something instead of nothing to start the conversation now,” he said.