Armed Drones for Law Enforcement: Why It Might Be
Time to Re-Examine the Current Use of Force Standard
Eric Brumfield*
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 544
II. THE EVOLUTION OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY ................................................. 546
A. Drones Used for War: What Else Are They Good For? ....................... 546
B. Drones for Law Enforcement: The New Frontier ................................. 547
1. Drones for Domestic Surveillance .................................................. 547
2. Armed Drones for Law Enforcement .............................................. 548
III. LEGAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................. 549
A. The Legality of LEA Drone Usage Under the Posse Comitatus Act ..... 549
B. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act .............................................. 550
1. The FAA UAS Comprehensive Plan ............................................... 551
2. The FAA Integration of UAS Roadmap .......................................... 552
3. The Memorandum of Understanding Between the FAA and the
DOJ ................................................................................................. 552
C. Legislative Responses to the FAA Act ................................................... 553
1. Federal Responses .......................................................................... 553
2. State Responses: Split on Armed Drone Use .................................. 553
IV. POLICY CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................ 555
V. THE FOURTH AMENDMENT AND THE USE OF FORCE ................................... 556
A. What Is a Seizure? ................................................................................. 556
B. What Is a Reasonable Use of Force? .................................................... 557
C. Applying the Use of Force Standard to Armed Drone Use ................... 559
1. Using an Armed Drone to Deploy Chemical Control Spray .......... 559
2. Using an Armed Drone to Employ a Taser ..................................... 561
3. Using a Lethally Armed Drone ....................................................... 563
4. Pursuit Using an Armed Drone Instead of a K–9 Dog ................... 564
D. Do Armed Drones Require a New Use of Force Standard?.................. 565