Recent Case Could Lead to More Drone Use by Police

WOODBURY, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Sheriffs' Association officials say the recent use of a drone in the search for a vulnerable man who had disappeared from his Woodbury home is a sign that drone use is going to increase.

Director Jim Franklin tells the Pioneer Press the association is scrambling to put together standardized recommendations for drone use by law enforcement agencies.

The missing man was eventually found by the Minnesota State Patrol, not the drone supplied by Green Remote Aviation. But Woodbury Police spokeswoman Michelle Okada says the department found it to be extremely helpful.

Lawmakers who oppose drones have cited privacy concerns in the past, but Franklin says law enforcement has only used drones to search for missing people, not for surveillance or in criminal cases. Officials must file reports explaining why and how a drone was used in each instance.