Gov. Brown Vetoes Bill Limiting Law Enforcement Use of Drones

The legislation would have required government agencies to get warrants before conducting surveillance with drones

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have placed strict limits on law enforcement agencies using unmanned aerial drones for surveillance.

The governor's office announced that the bill was one of more than a dozen pieces of legislation he vetoed Sunday. AB1327 by Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorrell of Camarillo would have required government agencies to get warrants before conducting surveillance with drones and would have required that they publicly announce their intent to buy and use them.

It was passed by the Legislature in the last days of its session last month.

Brown said in a statement that the bill appears to be too narrow and could go beyond what the state and federal constitutions would prohibit.

Gorrell called the veto "extremely disappointing."

"We're increasingly living in a surveillance society as the government uses new technology to track and watch the activities of Americans," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's disappointing that the governor decided to side with law enforcement in this case over the privacy interests of California."

The Los Angeles Police Department has obtained two state-of-the-art Draganflyer X-6 drones from the Seattle Police Department in May. Police will not use the drones in LA before a "lengthy approval process" by the civilian police commission, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and civil rights groups, according to the department.

Beck said in June that he is not in a rush to deploy the drones and has no timeline for deployment. 

The aerial vehicles are being housed at a undisclosed location.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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