WHILE U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS OPPOSE POLICE USE OF DRONES, ISRAEL BEGINS DISTRIBUTING THEM TO ALL POLICE UNITS

Israel Police units receive first 20 surveillance drones, but to protect civilians' privacy, drone footage cannot be used as evidence

By Itsik Saban

Israel Hayom
September 3, 2017

Eyes in the skies: The Israel Police is putting drones into use for search and surveillance work, and last week issued the first round of drones to 14 police stations and police units across the country.

The police launched the drone initiative after nearly three years of preparation and an eight-month pilot program that tested the drones' operational capabilities in search, patrol, crime prevention and other types of missions.

The aim of integrating drones into police work is to help prevent crime, assist in security operations, and maintain public order. The drones are intended to complement the use of police helicopters and are to be operated by the Israel Police's Air Unit. Over 30 police drone operators have been trained and certified.

As part of the training, the drone operators received special instructions about the issue of civilian privacy. What the drone cameras record will be considered irrelevant to ensuing investigations, and cannot be used as evidence.

The police have already acquired more than 50 drones and have obtained a special license from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate them. A total of 20 drones have been distributed to police stations and field units so far.

Chief Supt. Gadi Wiener told Israel Hayom that in the foreseeable future, every police unit and police station would have its own "air capability."

"The drone can provide police chiefs or units with an independent picture of the situation from the air, in everything having to do with documenting a scene, searching for a missing person, searching for people drowning, incidents of break-ins, public order, demonstrations and accidents," Wiener said.

"The drone program will improve the units' capabilities," Wiener concluded.

Police commanders and police field units will exercise their own operational judgment about when and where to put the drones into use, in accordance with the abilities of the drone operators and the demands of the Civil Aviation Authority.