Find Out How Your Local Police Agency is Using DronesParker Higgins and Trevor Timm The groups listed by the FAA included about two dozen local police agencies, but we expect this number to grow rapidly in the coming weeks and months. In February Congress passed a bill mandating the FAA authorize drones to public agencies if they can prove they can fly them safely. And recently, the Department of Homeland Security, which was already handing out grants to local police agencies, announced a program to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of drones by local police agencies. And last month the FAA announced it had established new (though undisclosed) procedures to allow more law enforcement agencies quicker access to fly drones. As the Huffington Post reported: This is, or will become, a controversy all over the United States. From Seattle, to Miami, Tennessee to Atlanta, and everywhere in between, local towns will soon grapple over the privacy dangers drones will create. Given Congress inaction on privacy issues, and the fact that the FAA has never regulated privacy issues, we believe activism at the local level is the best way to stop drone surveillance. The FAA has so far not released any information on which model of drone or how many drones each public entity flies. We also dont have much information on the type of data these drones will collect. So we need to find this information out. Weve made a simple form for the questions we want these police agencies to answer. We need you to call your local police department and ask them these questions. Check your local police departments website for the Public Inquiries or Community Relations contact, and call or e-mail them these questions. Our list of drone certificates includes police departments that we already know have a drone authorization from the FAA. This is just the first step. Once weve collected the data, we will release it and tell you how you can contact your local municipal government to demand that they ban law enforcement drones or install robust privacy safeguards that will protect citizens from unwantedand unconstitutionalsurveillance. You can support this information by voting on Reddit HERE. 