AGENCY TESTIMONY
Findings from DOI's 2024 report on NYPD's drone program
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ยท
107 sec
Commissioner Strauber details the findings from the 2024 report on NYPD's drone program. OIG NYPD reviewed two Impact and Use Policies (IUPs) applicable to the drone program and found that the UAS IUP did not fully comply with POST Act requirements.
- The UAS IUP contained inaccuracies about drone deployment supervision and reporting structure
- Several drone capabilities were not disclosed in the UAS IUP
- The IUP lacked information on potential health and safety impacts of drones
- Flight log maintenance procedures were not accurately reflected in the IUP
- The thermographic cameras IUP was found to satisfy POST Act requirements
Jocelyn Strauber
0:30:55
OIGNYPD reviewed the two IUPs applicable to the drone program, the UAS IUP and the thermographic cameras IUP, and concluded that the thermographic cameras IUP satisfied the post act with respect to the department's use of drone technology, but that the UAS IUP did not disclose all of the information required by the post act and did not provide a complete and accurate picture of all aspects of the PD's drone operations in the following ways.
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First, the UAS IUP inaccurately states that all drone deployments are operated and supervised by Taru when in fact multiple units within NYPD operate their own drone programs.
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Second, the UAS IUP requires that the commanding officer of the drone team report to the highest ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, but in fact the commanding officer reports the deputy commissioner of operations not the highest ranking uniformed member.
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Third, the UAS IUP does not disclose several capabilities of the department's drone fleet including features that enable fully autonomous and preprogrammed flights, two and three-dimensional mapping technologies, two way communication capabilities, and glass breaker attachments.
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Fourth, the UAS IUP does not disclose any potential health and safety impacts of drones, including risks related to personal injury, property damage, and the device's lithium ion batteries when potential health and safety risks plainly exist.
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And fifth, the UAS IUP does not accurately reflect how NYPD maintains the logs of each drone flight.
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Based on its review, OIGNYPD issued 10 policy and procedure recommendations to the NYPD.