The Aerial Investigative Research flew a plane over Baltimore for six months. The pilot program ended last fall. In February, the city’s Board of Public Works officially nixed the program.
“The residents of Baltimore were being treated as enemy combatants by their own police department,” David Rocah, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Maryland, said. “This was the equivalent of everyone in Baltimore being forced to wear a tracking device every time they left the house.”
The 8-7 decision from the 15-judge court ruled the aerial surveillance violated citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.
“I understand the thought that, ‘Well, surveilling people will somehow address that,’ but we have to understand the dangers of our privacy being violated in that way,” ACLU co-plaintiff Erricka Bridgeford said. “Often because of the desperation around trying to find resolutions to address violence, you see these kinds of really extreme reactions.”
You have no right to privacy when you are in public spaces. It has nothing to do with protecting privacy and everything to do with protecting criminals. And they wonder why their city continues to lead the nation with violent crimes and murders.
“The residents of Baltimore were being treated as enemy combatants”
Well, aren’t they?
8-7 tally from the 15. Hmmm that means 7 out of the 15 thought it was ok.
Anyone believe what an ACLU rep spews? Nope.
Drones have been flying in the sky above for YEARS. Wake up snowflakes – we were watching you for years!! Now you voice your opinion and laughed it.
We are not worrying, once it gets cold outside things will quiet down. Been that way each year since Ferguson. Hell goes all the way back to the LA riots in 1992.
Bethany bans all drones. The Refuge HOA contractor (L&N) want to have drones fly over that community. It never happened because too many felt it was an invasion of privacy that L&N isn’t permitted to do nor had a legitimate reason to even think about it. Maryland? I wouldn’t think anything is past that bunch.