Domestic drone justice: US court green-lights police UAV use

A North Dakota court has approved the use of drones to help arrest citizens on US soil. UAVs have primarily been used to conduct strikes against purported militants in countries like Pakistan, but their use at home has been on the rise as of late. District Judge Joel Medd denied a request to dismiss charges against Rodney Brossart, who was arrested after law enforcement resorted to using a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to inspect his property, according to court documents obtained by US News. Judge Medd wrote that “there was no improper use of an unmanned aerial vehicle” and that the UAV “appears to have had no bearing on these charges being contested.” Bruce Quick, Brossart’s lawyer, said “guerilla-like police tactics” were used against his client. He stressed that authorities had no legal right to use the drone to help capture Brossart, as the plane had been “dispatched without judicial approval or a warrant.” But he also noted that the entire case reeked of constitutional violations.