Brown Vetoes Bill Limiting Police Drone Surveillance
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced Sunday that he has vetoed a bill that would have placed strict limits on law enforcement agencies using unmanned aerial drones for surveillance.
AB1327 by Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorrell of Camarillo would have required government agencies to get warrants before conducting surveillance with drones.
It also would have required that agencies publicly announce their intent to buy and use drones and destroy most of the data collected within a year.
Brown said in a statement to the Assembly that the bill does not give law enforcement enough leeway.
"There are undoubtedly circumstances where a warrant is appropriate," the statement said. "The bill's exceptions, however, appear to be too narrow and could impose requirements beyond what is required by either the Fourth Amendment or the privacy provisions in the California Constitution."
Gorrell said the veto was "very disappointing."
"We're increasingly living in a surveillance society as the government uses new technology to track and watch the activities of Americans," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's disappointing that the governor decided to side with law enforcement in this case over the privacy interests of California."
The bill was passed by the Legislature in the last days of its session last month along with another bill, AB2306, which expands invasion-of-privacy statutes to include paparazzi photographers pursuing celebrities with drones in their homes and backyards. The governor has yet to sign or veto the paparazzi bill.
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