The main fear associated with the government use of drones in the United States has been one of privacy invasion when police use them. But at least one guy in California has turned that idea on its head and has begun using drones to film police conduct, instead.Cameras and cops don’t get along all that often, despite the fact that photography in public places is a right protected by the First Amendment. Filming police from the ground can be a dangerous business. With unsettling frequency, videos that show police intimidating camera-toting citizens are being posted online.
Advertisement
In 2012, Saulmon was charged for refusing to show ID to the police, despite there not being any law that would require him to do so. He caught the incident on film, and the charges were dropped. Since then, Saulmon has been hellbent on documenting police activity. Now that he’s added a drone to his arsenal, he’s used it to record police outside an Air Force base and at a late-night pier party. He has also flown his drone over a DUI checkpoint.At this point, it's not clear whether Saulmon in particular is doing a public service or merely trolling the police—in several of his videos, he seems to be actively picking fights with officers. Either way, there's certainly a public use for drones, and what he's doing is a good idea on paper. He hasn't captured any police abuses yet, but it could just be a matter of time until he—or someone else—does.
Advertisement