On Thursday, The New York Post reported the following:
Mayor Eric Adams on Friday claimed the public’s fantasies about “sci-fi” are to blame for any fears involving NYPD drones flying over Labor Day weekend celebrations.
“We have to push back on the sci-fi aspects of drones — nobody’s going to be monitored,” Adams insisted at a press conference Friday alongside NYPD Commissioner Eddie Caban — after some civil-rights activists and Big Apple residents trashed the cops’ use of the gadgets as Big Brother-esque.
“So what we’re doing over this weekend, there are a number of calls of loud music disruptive behavior,” Adams said. “Instead of the police having to respond and look at those, they’re going to utilize drones from a safe distance up, not down flying in someone’s backyard to see what they have on a grill.
“[NYPD are] going to utilize the drones to determine [if they] should they send crisis management teams there right away to help mitigate the problem. We don’t want police to be the only response.”
In the past when a noise complaint took place, two police officers would knock on the door and ask the residents to turn the music down. If the residents complied, there was no reason to continue the matter. My fear with the use of drones is that first of all, it eliminates initial human interaction (which is where I feel most arguments happen). I also fear that those at private parties will decide to create a new party game called, “Shoot down the drones.”
Even if the law is not bad in itself, the precedent it sets for the government being able to look into your private affairs is not good.