The shooting of five Arizona police officers by an assailant barricaded in a house have prompted renewed calls from officials in Phoenix to equip law enforcement forces with drones, whose remote surveillance capabilities can inform cops of hidden dangers facing them.
Phoenix City Counsellor Ann O’Brien responded to the February 11 violence by urging her peers to help protect police forces with the kind of specialized drones that law enforcement members elsewhere in the US have used for a variety of purposes – including advanced surveillance of tense or risky confrontations. Officially tabled by O’Brien in the hours after the violence, the proposal is slated to be put to a vote by municipal representatives Wednesday.
Following the example of Greater Phoenix Area neighbor Scottsdale – which has used the craft for fire, search and rescue, and gas detection – the Phoenix City Council voted last month to approve use of UAVS by its firefighters. Yet a…
