America’s First Drone-Assisted Arrest Upheld in Court

 

First, our government used them on suspected terrorists half-way around the globe. Then, they used them on American citizens half-way around the globe. Now, they’re using them on Americans right here on U.S. soil, and a North Dakota judge sees no reason to be alarmed. Just last year, for the first time in America, a predator drone was used to assist police in the arrest of farmer Rodney Brossart and his family in the small town of Lakota, North Dakota.

Senator Rand Paul’s Bill to Protect Citizens From Drone Surveillance

When Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced his bill in June, he was responding to growing concerns over privacy by

English: United States Senate candidate , at a town hall meeting in Louisville, . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

American citizens. The purpose of his bill is elegantly simple: “To protect individual privacy against unwarranted governmental intrusion through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles commonly called drones.” Paul’s bill is very specific:

[A] person or entity acting under the authority [of], or funded in whole or in part by, the Government of the United States shall not use a drone to gather evidence or other information pertaining to criminal conduct or conduct in violation of a statute or regulation except to the extent authorized in a warrant that satisfies the requirements of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Paul explained that “Americans going about their everyday lives should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and have their rights infringed upon by military tactics.”