Police drones with lethal weapons are one step closer to reality
From the department of Things That Would Make A Terrifying Black Mirror Episode: Connecticut lawmakers want police to be able to arm their drones with lethal weapons.
This would be a United States first. Connecticut lawmakers have introduced a bill that basically lets police, and nobody else, shoot bullets from drones so long as they follow certain rules that are TBD. The guidelines would reportedly be developed by Connecticut's Police Officer Standards and Training Council.
While Connecticut makes moves to let police weaponize drones, other states such as Virginia and Maine have banned the practice. North Dakota allows police drones to use "less lethal" weapons such as stun guns.
Civil rights groups are up in arms over the proposal and are hoping the bill doesn't turn into law.
“We would be setting a dangerous precedent,” said ACLU of Connecticut Executive Director David McGuire. “It is really concerning and outrageous that that’s being considered in our state legislature. Lethal force raises this to a level of real heightened concern.”
Three Connecticut police departments already use drones, so it's not as if the concept of weaponizing them is too theoretical.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
