The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | December 2023
Continued from previous page Jersey law enforcement have turned to unscrewed aerial systems as a force multiplier . They can quickly locate fleeing suspects , investigate routine matters before an officer needs to be dispatched , aid search and rescue efforts , contribute to disaster response , and enter areas where it ’ s too risky to send a human .
Simply put , drones save lives , reduce injuries , conserve resources , and serve the public . Their novelty also helps strengthen relationships between police and the citizenry .
New Jersey police fly Chinese drones because they are affordable , in some cases subsidized by Beijing . Subsequently , American police have become fiercely loyal to Chinese drones .
But there is no good reason for any agency to use risky Chinese-made drones that may potentially provide the Chinese Communist Party with access to US critical infrastructure and law enforcement data . It ’ s imperative that these critical tools for our police officers are provided by secure sources rather than adversarial governments .
In a recent CBS 60 Minutes segment , intelligence leaders from the US and our closest allies discussed the threat the Chinese government poses to the United States , both in terms of our economic and our national security and provide a stark warning on the danger of China ’ s global espionage campaign .
Thankfully , both federal and state agencies have begun to limit or prohibit the use of Chinese drones . In July , the Senate unanimously adopted the American Security Drone Act , which would prohibit federal agencies from buying insecure drones . Days later , the House passed the similar Unmanned Aerial Security Act .
On the state front , Florida has been particularly proactive in ensuring law enforcement agencies have secure drones in their fleets . Following a ban on Chinese drones , its legislature recently made $ 25 million available in grants for public safety agencies to replace their insecure drones with trusted U . S . or allied drones .
We are not suggesting grounding law enforcement drones , only those manufactured by our adversaries who each day are seeking ways to infiltrate our homeland security system . Although some privacy advocates have raised the alarm concerning the use of drones by our law enforcement officers , most agencies are highly cognizant of the importance of using all new forms of technology in a responsible way . As an example , the world ’ s leading public safety drone association , DRONERESPONDERS , produced an excellent set of guidelines on responsible drone use by public safety agencies . This document sets out five “ C ’ s ” for law enforcement to follow : community engagement and transparency , civil liberties and privacy protection , common operating procedures , clear oversight and accountability , and cyber security . It provides clear , easy-to-use guidelines to help agencies operate effectively and responsibly , including by following certain recommendations from civil society organizations such as the ACLU .
We must work with the well-intentioned law enforcement officers of New Jersey to get them to recognize the ramifications for using adversarial technology . We must likewise compel our state legislators to fund the tools that they need during a time of slashed police budgets , record-high departures , record-low intake , and rapidly improving UAS technology .
Charles Giblin is the retired Special Agent in Charge of the NJ Department of the Treasury Office of Criminal Investigation . He has 45 years of law enforcement experience with experience as a Task Force Officer . He is a certified instructor in numerous public safety disciplines . Including investigative and surveillance techniques and devices . Giblin had served on the Drone Committee of the NJ Domestic Security Task Force . He is a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police , previously serving on the Board of Directors .
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