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LEOs voice concerns over arming domestic UAVs

The majority of law enforcement agree that weaponizing the unmanned drones is a bad idea

By Josh Peterson
The Daily Caller

WASHINGTON — Leaders in the law enforcement community want people to know that they are against the arming of domestic drones. Public attention to the privacy and safety issues associated with unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, was recently spurred by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s near 13-hour filibuster of the confirmation of now-CIA Director John Brennan over the drone issue.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) had, however, already approved unmanned aircraft guidelines in the middle of August 2012 that addressed major privacy and safety concerns. “Equipping the aircraft with weapons of any type is strongly discouraged,” read the IACP guidelines.

“We think it’s a really bad idea,” Airborne Law Enforcement Association Executive Director Steve Ingley told The Daily Caller. He noted that law enforcement is not interested in prolonged periods of surveillance using unmanned aircraft because of the lack of practicality.

Full Story: Law enforcement leaders voice concerns about weaponizing domestic drones