Illinois Senate Passes Bill Regulating Use Of Drones
By aaroncynic in News on Apr 23, 2013 7:40PM
Credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images
The bill passed the Senate with a 52-1 and moves on to the House.
The bill also makes information collected by an unapproved drone to be inadmissible in court if the rules are violated. The bill authorizes the use of drones in the following situations:
1.) “To counter a high risk of a terrorist attack” if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines “credible intelligence” indicates a risk.
2.) If law enforcement possesses “reasonable suspicion” that “swift action is needed to prevent imminent harm to life or serious damage to property.”
Senator Daniel Biss (D-Skokie), who sponsored the bill, said:
“The technology available to law enforcement agencies is evolving rapidly. I want Illinois to take a pro-active approach — recognizing that drones can make police work more efficient and keep officers out of harm’s way, but also acknowledging the potential threat they pose to individual liberties.”
Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the ACLU of Illinois told the Chicago Tribune “It really is a critical step in regulating what I argue is a very powerful surveillance tool before that tool is widely used.”
While civil liberties and privacy advocates can at least laud the restrictions placed on law enforcement in the use of drones over cities and towns in Illinois, the bill is still troubling. Originally, it included a provision which would prevent agencies from owning or using drones equipped with weapons — lethal or non-lethal. Senator Biss however, introduced an amendment to the bill which suspended that provision. Biss told the Tribune it was because he wanted to move ahead with privacy concerns, but said he may try to push for the ban later.