While drones are not filling the air around Wisconsin quite yet, their popularity for taking aerial videos or just the joy of flying continues to grow – as do concerns about possible criminal uses.
State Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) is worried some of that interest may extend beyond fun though. The Fond du Lac Republican is proposing a pair of bills aimed at trying to prevent possible crimes that could be committed using drones.
Gudex sees a list of potential criminal usage that includes delivering drugs, weapons, and invading someone’s privacy. “Believe me, there are people out there who have figured this stuff out already,” he said.
One of the proposed bills allows prosecutors to consider the use of a drone in committing a crime when filing charges. The other would allow local officials to set up no-fly zones for the devices and ban them from being flown around prisons, where Gudex is concerned they could be used to deliver drugs or weapons. “We want to make sure that we’re gonna have a safe community, we want to have the better public interest in mind,” he said.
Both proposals are currently being circulated for co-sponsors in the Legislature.