As Dallas seeks to become the city of the future, the City has apparently considered — and in some cases implemented — drones and robots in lethal and surveillance capacities.
Alongside the members of the Dallas Police Department, a squad of drones patrols the skies. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, launched in January of this year, consists of 18 aerial drones manufactured by the Chinese company DJI.
At the time, DPD Maj. Mark Villarreal explained that the flying robots would be used for “disaster response, missing persons, fugitive apprehension, building searches, investigating dangerous and armed subjects,” and other purposes.
Sgt. Ross Stinson added that although the drones are not currently enabled to carry equipment of any sort, the department would be open to using them that way in the future.
“Having the ability to deliver life-saving equipment and critical resources is something that I believe will be a valuable capability. … The first steps of this program are about implementing the technology into these dynamic situations as efficiently as possible,” Stinson noted.
No mention was made at the time of the potential weaponization of drones in the future.
When asked by The Dallas Express, DPD public information officer Kristin Lowman claimed, “Our drone unit does not use weaponized drones, nor do they have the capability. There has been no discussion, and there are no plans to use them in this capacity.”
However, the DPD’s General Orders do in fact permit the use of weaponized drones. The policy explicitly states that “Deployment of any type of projectile, chemical agent, or electrical current weapon from a City of Dallas UAS is PROHIBITED unless authorized by the Chief of Police.”
While the City of Dallas has not yet deployed weaponized aerial drones, Dallas is the only city in the U.S. where police have killed someone using a weaponized robot.
In 2016, DPD deployed a robot equipped with explosives to kill a shooter who had killed five police officers and wounded seven others in downtown Dallas.
“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was,” former police chief David Brown explained.
As the world continues to change and the criminal element implements 21st-century technology, Dallas and cities across America may find themselves debating these issues more frequently at City Hall. Recently, the San Francisco Police Department announced a weaponized drone policy and reversed it after an outcry.
Additionally, police implementation of drones has raised privacy and public safety concerns, especially after more than 600 hours of aerial surveillance footage taken by the DPD from helicopters leaked in 2021.
The footage contained recordings of crowds of people at the state fair in Fair Park as well as scenes from protests that occurred in the city. Additional analysis of the leak revealed that “Large sections of the video shows random surveillance of Dallas neighborhoods, with highly detailed and zoomed-in images of people in their front yards, standing by their cars and sunbathing.”
Aerial drones were used by Fort Worth in 2020 to warn those in homeless encampments to abide by government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions. Similar tactics continue to be widely used in China.
The Dallas Express will be running a series of stories covering the growth and implementation of drones both in the military and municipal capacities in the state of Texas.
Hope these are not racist drones that start targeting black and brown people.
Don’t you mean you hope that the drone handler is not a racist drone handler bent on targeting black and brown people? That’s a 50-50 wager that I wouldn’t want to bet on.
This appears to be the life we are living today. Debates over privacy and security. Unfortunately there have been too many instances where those we trust break our trust. This capability could be valuable but it also could be used against innocent in a very aggressive way.
They are just another tool to AID law enforcement. The mention of weapons in the article is a fear tactic. Please Calm down and let the police do their job.
Police job does NOT include overflight of backyards with cameras without warrant or exigency. IF they are instantly after a criminal running from them…great…exigency exists, drones in my backyard are ok. HOWEVER,
If the police drone sees my unlicensed motor home in the backyard and attempt to enforce codes because of that flight, then that is a violation of Constitutional rights under color of law. NO EXCEPTION and IT IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB.
It means that the cops became CRIMINALS and deserve to be in FEDERAL PRISON for 5 years technically. The FBI is supposed to investigate and arrest and federal prosecutors are supposed to prosecute. However, this has happened only a handful of times in the last century and only in exceptional cases, especially where internal affairs obviously was WRONG. The reason is that each city has INTERNAL AFFAIRS and the FBI cedes authority (unlawfully) to them to guard the hen house and determine that no laws are broken when they are regularly broken.
The FBI is actually TASKED with investigating EVERY claim of violation of civil rights by LEO and has almost never done so.
One of the best decisions Chief Brown made was the use of the robot with a bomb on 7-7-16!
In East Plano every night drones are out in swarms all over the place. Has anyone noticed the drones that sound like a jet engine?
Call the FAA and complain WHILE MANY ARE IN THE AIR. That is the beginning of how to handle it. For all you know it is Amazon Making deliveries.
Police are between a Rock and a Hard spot.
Damned if you do and Damned if you don’t.
I remember Former Chief Renee Hall at a police academy speech. Welcome too the most thankless job in America. When they need you they love you. When they don’t need you they hate you!
Chief Brown is now in Chicago and he is not playing around. I don’t know if Chief Gracia can handle this situation. Especially when you have a DA who makes rules that put him back in office.
Shame on you “Dallas Express”, for sensationalizing this topic! I know you want readers and I know that you and all media sources love to post the most dramatic and egregious topics gut saying that the DPD could use these drones for shooting people (that is the assumption you want the public to believe) is totally irresponsible.
You shouldn’t worry about the Dallas police, you better worry about that nut in North Korea, flying drones over South Korea.
How did they get these drones with the ability too fly into South Korea and pie on a lot us USA soldiers. Thank you Dallas Express!
I love how Dallas express talks out of both sides of their mouth. 🙄
On every email there is the graphic of how many Black, brown, white and other lives have been lost so far this year in Dallas. And then you make up stuff and criticize the DPD out of the other side!
One of my family members is a DPD officer actively patrolling in one of these units mentioned in your article. And I assure you they do not target law abiding citizens! And they most certainly do not gawk at ‘sunbathers’! I am appalled at the suggestion! You should be ashamed! We live in a city with some very real crime issues. As well as one of the highest murder rates in this country. Tell us who killed those citizens in your graphic. Break it down by race just like you did the loss of those souls. You would rather instill more fear and mistrust in the DPD than report real facts, that might actually save a citizens lives. We live in a very dangerous city! And as long as the police hands are tied and we have a DA that was installed by George Sorose it will not get any better. Those are the things that should keep law abiding citizens up at night. Not that a drone or chopper might spy on you!
I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, TO MAKE POLICE OFFICERS
JOBS LESS DANGEROUS CONFRONTING ARMED SUBJECTS!!
“Who will guard the guardians?”
Don’t fly over my house with a camera without a surveillance warrant, you had best stay on the street and at a level that is normal for a person walking down the street when the camera is running. The Supreme Court has already ruled on UNLAWFUL SEARCH by human, dogs and even mechanical devices (which is all a drone is). All are UNLAWFUL and UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
I guaranty that this will wind up in Federal Court and with Dallas Paying MILLIONS. To overfly, searching for someone instantaneously avoiding apprehension and to overfly with video and no warrant or exigency will eventually get some Dallas Police officers KILLED and or some police managers imprisoned in federal prisons for up to 15 years (rightfully so).
When officers are involved in violation of civil rights under color of authority, they are nothing but criminals wearing guns and fake badges. It does not matter that their “boss” told them to do it. That is the same excuse Nazis used and they were HUNG for obeying unlawful orders. Take notice …there IS a Constitution both State and Federal. Wake up or face the consequences.
Every good Texan Understands this already.
Let’s spend money on pay raises, hiring more police, and some innovative measures like helping neighborhoods clean up their area, including drug houses. Technology like drones lags behind the problem. What if we REALLY try to prevent problems? I’m not the best person for providing suggestions but I bet there are some of those around here who have heard the ‘we don’t have the funds for that’ excuse many times. Helping the good people help themselves – that sounds like something worth trying versus expensive, risky, hollywood measures like drones.
Some neighborhoods ask for help but they are not top priority. A lot of them are retiring because they want to live like those of us who are not on the streets trying to protect and serve.
Dallas need to VOTE to get rid of some of these council people. Who walk around like peacock’s.
Protect and Server your communities.
VOTE and don’t forget your state representatives and State Senator’s. Who don’t get paid a lot by the State but seem too have a lot of money, ask yourself how that happens?