Lawmakers Tackle Questions Surrounding Drone Use

Do drones pose more problems than they solve?

Lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol on Wednesday to watch one in action and tackle questions about how to regulate the use of drones in Connecticut.

"Visuals were fantastic from 200 feet, 300 feet," said State Sen. John Kissel, of Enfield.

But it may be easier to fly a drone than to regulate a drone. The Program Review and Investigations Committee of the legislature is studying the issue.

Last winter, the Branford fire chief wanted to gauge the distance between flames and explosives in a burning quarry, and called in a citizen who flies a drone, the same pilot who put on the display at the Capitol.

"With him looking over my shoulder, he was able to quickly determine that it was still about 30 to 40 feet away, and then and only then did he know that it was safe to send in human beings to actually put out that fire," drone owner Peter Sachs told the committee on Wednesday.

But sometimes drones can be more trouble than they're worth. In May, a teenager flying a drone at Hammonasset State Park was assaulted by an offended woman who claimed her privacy was being violated.

Legislators may not have authority over the skies, but they can regulate takeoffs and landings at state and local property.

Their policies also govern police use of drones. The American Civil Liberties Union has put forward a proposal requiring police to obtain a warrant before using a drone for surveillance.

"You're going to be restricting law enforcement," Cromwell Chief Anthony Salvatore of the Police Chiefs Association told the committee. "Some people believe it's really simple, based on probable cause, for us to go get a warrant."

By some people he meant David McGuire of the ACLU, sitting nearby.

"That warrant requirement, if levied by the legislature, will not prevent all these other beneficial uses," McGuire said.

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