Canadian police forces have been using drones for many years, but scrutiny of their use is lacking, especially as the technology has evolved, privacy and surveillance researchers say.

Their concerns come after Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 Chief Const. Adam Palmer revealed that investigators deployed drones to locate a suspect in a pair of gruesome stranger attacks in the city害羞草研究所檚 downtown on Wednesday, that left one man dead and another with a severed hand.

Palmer paid tribute to the role of the drone operator in the arrest of 34-year-old White Rock man, who has now been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Brenda McPhail, an instructor in the public policy and digital society program at McMaster University, said the public only tends to hear about police use of drones 害羞草研究所渨here there害羞草研究所檚 been a success.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淰ery generally, the transparency and accountability for the police use of drones is a concern,害羞草研究所� McPhail said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淧olice forces across Canada have been using drones for some time and yet you hear very little about them in the public.害羞草研究所�

She said the public rarely gets a 害羞草研究所渓ine of sight into a failure害羞草研究所� or misuse of the technology.

害羞草研究所淲hat we don害羞草研究所檛 get is scrutiny about the mistakes,害羞草研究所� McPhail said.

Drone technology had changed a lot in the last five years, she said, including newer and better cameras, and the potential to couple them with facial recognition technology makes it 害羞草研究所渢ime for renewed scrutiny害羞草研究所� of police drone programs in Canada.

The Vancouver Police Department害羞草研究所檚 drone program was launched in 2019, and McPhail said it went through a 害羞草研究所減olicy process害羞草研究所� that included consultations with privacy and civil liberties advocates.

The resultant 害羞草研究所渞emotely piloted aerial system害羞草研究所� policy includes a ban on flights 害羞草研究所渇or surveillance purposes,害羞草研究所� except where there害羞草研究所檚 an 害羞草研究所渋mminent risk to life or safety.害羞草研究所�

It also bans drone flights to record or identify people taking part in peaceful protests.

The 2019 policy touts drones as tools 害羞草研究所渢o gather digital imagery in an effort to support public safety, enhance investigative techniques, expand operational awareness and aid in critical incident resolution.害羞草研究所�

Police drone pilots, the policy states, can be authorized to aid in a number of situations including 害羞草研究所渕ass casualty events,害羞草研究所� disaster responses, missing persons investigations, hazardous material spills or volatile situations including 害羞草研究所渂arricaded suspects, hostage situations, active deadly threat scenarios, high risk search warrants, and suicidal persons.害羞草研究所�

Palmer said Wednesday the department launched 害羞草研究所渕ultiple drones害羞草研究所� during the hunt for the Vancouver attacker, and one was in 害羞草研究所渃lose proximity害羞草研究所� to where investigators arrested McBride after a tip from a member of the public.

McPhail, the former director of the privacy, technology and surveillance program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said changes to drone programs and updates to the technology should require more consultations to keep policies up-to-date and 害羞草研究所渘ew safeguards.害羞草研究所�

She said police in Toronto, for example, used drones to monitor crowds at a Canada Day celebration back in July, causing a 害羞草研究所渂it of controversy.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淎nd yet in Toronto, we害羞草研究所檝e absolutely never had a public conversation about whether we want police using surveillance drones for what they would call public safety at public gatherings, which edges very closely to public surveillance at public gatherings,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淭his kind of technology, if used inappropriately and without the right guardrails, has the potential to be really invasive. Police use of them has the potential to violate Charter rights.害羞草研究所�

Scott Thompson, an assistant sociology professor and surveillance researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, said public opinion in Canada has been supportive of police drones in 害羞草研究所渟ingle-event uses,害羞草研究所� such as finding criminal suspects or aiding in searches for missing persons.

But public 害羞草研究所減ush back害羞草研究所� to the technologies comes when it害羞草研究所檚 used for collecting personal information like license plates or 害羞草研究所減attern of life害羞草研究所� data, where peoples害羞草研究所� movements can be tracked over large distances over long periods of time, he said.

Police forces, Thompson said, often portray drone use in the best possible terms.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e kind of shy to let the public know exactly what the capabilities are or how often they害羞草研究所檙e deployed,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淏ut if we want an open society in which people can participate, we really need to know how often these technologies are being used and for what purposes.害羞草研究所�

Thompson said drones still have limitations, such as battery life, but 害羞草研究所渢he technology is moving forward every day.害羞草研究所�

He said some jurisdictions in the United States have started using 害羞草研究所渄rones as first responders,害羞草研究所� sending them to every police call, with 害羞草研究所渃ontinuous害羞草研究所� flights over geographic areas, collecting data somewhat indiscriminatingly.

害羞草研究所淭hese are places that policing in Canada have not yet stepped into, but as the technology gets better, they will be issues moving forward and that害羞草研究所檚 where we run into that concern about routine collection and pattern of life collection,害羞草研究所� he said.

Thompson said advancements in surveillance technologies means there害羞草研究所檚 a growing 害羞草研究所渋nvasiveness into our daily lives.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 why it害羞草研究所檚 super important that we have these conversations now before we have constant surveillance all the time, so the public can have a say in what it is that they expect in regards to privacy and what type of policing we want in our community,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淧rivacy is a serious concern because it害羞草研究所檚 a central feature of freedom and democracy within our society.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲ithout privacy, we don害羞草研究所檛 have a capacity to feel free to voice our opinions, so this is something that we always want to be concerned about.害羞草研究所�

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