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Pressure Builds for Civilian Drone Flights at Home
Unmanned drone aircraft, formerly used exclusively by the military, may soon be in use by law enforcement agencies, the news media, utility companies and others.
At present, less than 300 government agencies have received waivers for limited use of drones in the United States, but the Federal Aviation Administration has received a Congressional mandate that civilian and military drones must be permitted to fly in civilian airspace in less than four years (by September 2015).
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is one of the agencies that have received a waiver, flying drones along the U.S.-Mexico Border where they have assisted in the seizure of more than 20 tons of illegal drugs in the past six years.
The U.S. Department of Justice has four drones available for loan to law enforcement agencies.
"We look at this as a low-cost alternative to buying a helicopter or fixed-wing plane," said Michael O'Shea, National Institute of Justice Aviation Technology Program Manager.
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