, laws across the country aren't keeping up with preventing potential abuses of police power.
Drones, also referred to as unmanned aircraft systems, have a variety of uses, especially for law enforcement. According to reporting from, the newest and most powerful drones can have capabilities such as high-powered cameras, and can break through glass, open doors, or fly into buildings. They even allow police or other types of law enforcement to make contact with people held in hostage situations.
The same NBC News article reports that the Fourth circuit US Court of Appeals found the 2021 AIR program in Baltimore, Maryland — a state without regulations around police use of drones — that conducted constant surveillance using drones was unconstitutional.
"Allowing the police to wield this power unchecked is anathema to the values enshrined in our Fourth Amendment," reads the majority opinion, authored by Chief Judge Roger Gregory. "The AIR program is like a 21st-century general search, enabling the police to collect all movements, both innocent and suspected, without any burden to 'articulate an adequate reason to search for specific items related to specific crimes.