The city’s police department ramped up drone use over the Labor Day weekend this year.

by
Josiah Bates
The Grio
September 7, 2023

… When the NYPD announced that surveillance drones would monitor holiday weekend festivities in certain areas, critics quickly condemned the decision as racially discriminatory. While the use of advanced tech becoming more popular for hundreds of police departments, experts and advocates believe that it can potentially be damaging to the Black community.

… “It’s not surprising to see law enforcement get more comfortable with using various technologies,” Dr. Jeffrey Butts, a professor at John Jay College in New York City said. “The concern about law enforcement would be the fairness or equity with which they use those technologies.”

… Some experts question just how far the use will go. “What happens when someone says it’ll be helpful for us to arm [these drones],” Butts asked. “What are we going to say when someone proposes that?”

Since there are already significant racial disparities in how Black communities are policed (like traffic and street stops), the fear is that this technology will just do more of the same. “We have to trust that law enforcement is using these in an even and fair way,” Professor Butts said.

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