California police to use Chinese-made patrol drones with night-vision cameras during coronavirus lockdown t.co/m6sg1FgJdj
— Bill Bishop (@niubi) March 24, 2020
A California police department is planning on using drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to monitor a coronavirus shutdown.
The Chula Vista Police Department recently doubled its fleet of drones, purchasing two of the machines from Chinese company DJI. The police department told the Financial Times that they would be outfitted with night-vision cameras.
“We have not traditionally mounted speakers to our drones, but … if we need to cover a large area to get an announcement out, or if there were a crowd somewhere that we needed to disperse, we could do it without getting police officers involved,” said Capt. Vern Sallee.
“The outbreak has changed my view of expanding the program as rapidly as I can,” Sallee added.
U.S. officials have warned about the threat Chinese-made drones could pose to the United States. The company that the police department is purchasing from, DJI, is the world’s largest player in the civilian drone industry.
Big brother will be monitoring you.
AC