A new state law puts limits on how law enforcement can use unmanned sky cameras to watch over the rest of us. But Chippewa County sheriff’s officials say there are still a lot of useful-and-legal applications for the new drone unveiled yesterday.
The department paid $1700 for a new Phantom-2-Vision camera, but it won’t go up in the air for at least another month while a policy for its usage is set-and-approved. Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said the drone could be used in a number of ways to protect officers and others. They include photographing searches approved by judges, re-constructing traffic accidents, or finding lost kids. He said the drone is easy to use, and it only takes about 20 minutes to train an operator.
In April, Governor Scott Walker signed a law which prohibits Wisconsin law enforcement from using drones to obtain evidence without warrants. Kowalczyk promised his department would use its new drone selectively with search laws in mind.
WAYY