North Dakota considers a law allowing police to use "non-lethal" weapons with radio-controlled drones.
With reports from Ars Technica and Popular Science. Produced for September 2, 2015, but can run a few days later.
Cyrus Farivar at Ars Technica reports that House Bill 1328 just passed in North Dakota requiring that police and sheriffâs deputies get a warrant when deploying a drone for surveillance. But to get that civil liberty enacted into law, there was a trade-off. While the bill previously banned police use of any weapons by drone, now ânon-lethalâ weaponized drones would be allowed in the state. Tear gas from above, or a barrage of bean bags, pellets, or a Taser may be used with a radio-controlled drone now in North Dakota. âI submitted [it] with [a] prohibition of any weapons,â Rep. Rick Becker said about his bill. âThe law enforcement lobby offered an amendment and said that if the amendments were added, they would not oppose. The committee accepted amendments and I didnât fight them because I wanted the bill to pass at least to require warrants. The law says that law enforcement canât use drones weaponized with lethal weapons. But in 2017 when I get back, I will introduce a bill to also include non-lethal.â Kelsey D. Atherton in Popular Science reports that actually, drone use in North Dakota is governed by an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research Compliance Committee. The group oversees all drone use by both the University of North Dakota, and the Grand Forks County Sheriffâs Department, and the Sheriffâs Department does so under the umbrella of the University of North Dakotaâs drone exemption.
Radio-Controlled Drone Weaponized in North Dakota?
Radio news about radio waves.
01:45:00
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Sept. 2, 2015
Produced at Wave Farm/WGXC in the Hudson Valley, New York.
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