Washington ( CNN ) -- Charlottesville , Virginia , residents could see one of the region 's biggest political footballs flying overhead this week : a drone . The use of an unmanned aircraft was approved Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration to help search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham . The drone deployment , while legal , highlights an ongoing political debate -- at the local and state level -- on whether use of the aviation technology is a violation of civil liberties . Legal limits on unmanned aircraft use by state and local law enforcements were instituted by the Virginia state legislature in February 2013 , earning the support of civil liberties proponents and marking an historic first across the nation . The moratorium lasts until July 2015 , when the legislation will be reconsidered and some proponents say it ca n't come quickly enough . `` There 's been an overreaction on the part of state legislatures with respect to this technology , '' said Brendan Schulman , who represents drone operators as Special Counsel at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP . Authorities say the drone , an Aeryon SkyRanger , could be used in the Charlottesville area for as long as they are useful -- news that might anger proponents of the ban , where the city itself voted to outlaw the use of drones even beyond the restrictions of the state moratorium . `` Drones will spy on us without our permission in violation of our constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment , '' said David Swanson , an activist who brought the initial anti-drone resolution to the Charlottesville city council , in February . Schulman pointed out that state legislators ' `` knee-jerk reaction '' highlighting privacy concerns is often overblown given state laws which prohibit invasions of privacy . Instead , he said , drone opponents should consider their financial and safety benefits . `` There is absolutely no question that using a battery powered small drone is much more cost effective than a manned helicopter , '' he said , noting that in some circumstances , unmanned aircraft can often replace as many as 100 ground-based volunteers . `` This is like any other technology , '' he added . `` There are great benefits that we can obtain from it when it 's used appropriately , and we should not curtail those benefits on the premise that the technology is always going to be abused . '' John Coggin , chief engineer of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership , said the drone being used this week will be used to `` look closer '' at objects of interest , and will be able to cover areas across the region too difficult to reach with an ATV or even see with a manned helicopter . More than 50 law enforcement personnel are also participating in the search on the ground . So far , police have searched more than 175 square miles in the mission to find Graham , which is now in its third week after she disappeared from the Downtown Mall area of Charlottesville on Sept. 13. investigators have identified Jesse Matthew , 32 , as the last person seen with Graham . He 's been charged with abduction with the intent to defile . While the search continues both on ground and in air , some groups who supported the moratorium agree that use by local law enforcement should be allowed . The Rutherford Institute , a Charlottesville-based civil liberties organization notable for its hand in advocating for the local moratorium , has rallied behind the use of drones in the Graham case . `` We are all concerned about what has happened to Hannah Graham , and if using aerial drones can find her or at least provide some leads to law enforcement , all the better , '' John Whitehead , president of the Rutherford Institute , said in a statement . `` The key moving forward is to ensure that appropriate civil liberties safeguards are in place , but that is a conversation for another day and time . ''
The FAA approved drone use for helping in the search for Hannah Graham . State lawmakers issued moratorium on drone use in February 2013 . Drones are used to record images of places hard to reach on the ground .