California Legislature OKs bill regulating law enforcement’s drone use

Lawmakers on Wednesday approved a measure that would regulate law enforcement’s use of drones, including requiring agencies to get warrants for most uses of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) said that the expanded use of drones by law enforcement “has changed the paradigm of what we believe to be our reasonable expectation of privacy.”

“Because of that technology ... it’s incumbent upon [the Legislature] to make sure we lay down a basic framework [and] guidelines for government to use these when they’re monitoring human behavior,” Gorell said in an interview Wednesday.

The bill requires the government to get a warrant to use drones for surveillance, except in cases of envronmental emergencies, such as oil spills or chemical spills.

The bill was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Law enforcement groups were less enthused with the measure, arguing that unmanned surveillance should be treated no differently than manned surveillance.

Three other states, including Virginia and North Carolina, have placed a moratorium on drone use by state and local agencies.

“We don’t want to do that here in California,” Gorell said, adding he wants to see drone manufacturing jobs in the state.

“But if we want to attract that industry, at the same time we have to send a signal that we’re respectful and cognizant of the privacy concerns of basic Californians as a result of this proliferation of this technology,” he said.

The bill, AB 1327, got final approval in the Assembly on a 56-1 vote. It now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.

Follow @melmason for more on California government and politics.