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Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr., at the news conference Wednesday, said...

Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr., at the news conference Wednesday, said the drone technology has wide applications for first responders. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.

A police drone will be buzzing over the Village of Hempstead to assist officers on the ground later this year, village officials announced Wednesday.

It will be used to help fight crime and respond to emergencies, officials said.

The drone “can reach anywhere within a four-mile radius at 53 miles per hour to get immediate eyes on the scene,” Hempstead Village Police Chief Richard Holland said at a news conference at the state armory in Hempstead to introduce the "Drone-as-First-Responder System."

The drone will be integrated into the village’s surveillance system of license plate readers, cameras and gunshot detectors, police officials said. It provides real-time intelligence to officers and is equipped with a license plate recognition camera, according to a news release provided by village police. 

“In the event of an emergency situation or real-time crime scenario, the program will give first responders detailed information quickly,” Holland said Wednesday. 

The drone is being temporarily “donated” to the village police department by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, a company that provides license plate readers and software to monitor the data in a Cloud-based computer system, according to village and company officials.

Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said the technology has wide applications for first responders.

“It's not just dealing with criminal elements, it's providing public safety,” Hobbs said. When seniors or young people are missing, a ping off a license plate can help, he said, so “we're able to assist that way.”

Last year, Flock Safety acquired Aerodrome, a company that provided drone technology systems for first responders.

It’s not clear when the drone will be launched. Flock Safety spokeswoman Holly Beilin said the village needs to get a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the drone from the village police department's real-time information center.

The FAA requires drone operators to keep a drone within direct eyesight, but operators can apply for a Beyond Visual Line of Sight waiver that allows them to operate the drone without having eyes on it. Getting a waiver can take several months, Beilin said. 

The police departments of Nassau and Suffolk counties each already have more than two dozen drones, Newsday previously reported

The use of drones and license plate readers by law enforcement has raised concerns about privacy and violations of Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches.

“We are strongly advocating for warrant requirements for police drones and for outright prohibitions against First Amendment-protected activities so there can’t be drone flights at protests,” said Daniel Schwarz, senior privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union.

An NYPD drone displayed by New York City officials in...

An NYPD drone displayed by New York City officials in November. Credit: Mayoral Photography Office/Michael Appleton

Schwarz said drones can lead to overpolicing of marginalized communities and create a chilling effect. The NYCLU has received reports in New York City from people who live near police precincts where drones are launched, he said.

“That can mean they might have dozens of flights over their backyard each day,” Schwarz said. Assurances by police departments that they are following rules to protect privacy can be hard to verify, he said. 

In October, a lawsuit was filed against Norfolk, Virginia in federal court over its use of Flock Safety license plates readers.

The suit, brought by two Virginia residents, alleges that the company’s software allows police to build a picture of a driver’s daily life and routine without a warrant and with minimal restrictions. Flock Safety is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

Beilin said the drone’s camera will be pointed forward until it reaches its destination so as not to point downward at houses in its flight path, and the flight paths will be publicly available online.

Holland said data and video will be deleted after 30 days unless they are part of an investigation.

Hempstead Village's police drone

Will provide real-time intelligence to officers and is equipped with a license plate recognition camera.

Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said the technology has wide applications for first responders.

It’s not clear when the drone will be launched.

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