California, Minnesota Counties Use Drones for Law Enforcement Amid Privacy Lawsuit

Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are increasingly using drones for surveillance and enforcement, raising privacy concerns. In Bryan County, Georgia, sheriff's deputies deploy high-end DJI Matrice 30T drones to monitor traffic violations such as seatbelt and phone use, a practice legally supported by local prosecutors who equate drone surveillance on public roads to traditional aerial monitoring. Similarly, California police departments in Desert Hot Springs and Irvine utilize smaller, advanced drones to track illegal e-bike and electric motorcycle riders, enabling safer enforcement by avoiding high-speed chases and capturing clear footage in difficult-to-reach areas. However, in Sonoma County, California, the use of drones equipped with powerful zoom and thermal imaging cameras by Permit Sonoma for code enforcement without warrants has sparked a lawsuit from the ACLU, alleging violations of residents' privacy rights due to warrantless surveillance capturing private spaces and even intimate moments. This program, initially targeting illegal cannabis cultivation, has expanded to broader code violations, resulting in substantial fines and growing public backlash. These developments highlight the tension between technological enforcement benefits and the imperative to protect civil liberties amid expanding drone surveillance programs.