The Decision Of Purchasing Drones For The Purpose Of Local...

Purchasing Drones The decision of purchasing drones for the purpose of local law enforcement to use could be a negative and a positive. There are several states in the U.S. who do allow the purchase and the usage of drones by local law enforcement. Some of those states consist of Texas and California; but for the states on the East Coast (where Baltimore, Maryland resides); there is one state who allows the purchase and usage of drones: Florida. There are several pros and cons on this issue. Some of the pros and cons revolve around money, time, and the issue of individual rights. A drone is â€Å"an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control or onboard computers.† (Merriam-Webster). It is also â€Å"beyond [the] line of sight: the GPS of a U.S. spy drone.† (Dictionary.com). The issue that will be continuously brought up will be the right of privacy. Will the usage of drones violate the Fourth Amendment? It can be a violation if abused. The key word in the defini tion of drones IS â€Å"spy.† Is it spying if you are looking at something in plain view, but the device is out of plain sight? The Fourth Amendment states that every individual has the right to not have unreasonable searches and not without probable cause. However, there are exceptions to the Fourth Amendment which includes the Plain View Doctrine. The Plain View Doctrine states that if a law enforcement officer is in a place legally and sees criminal activity or other evidence, the evidence can be seized without a