A California police department south of San Diego will use drones to monitor the community as Governor Gavin Newsom ordered residents to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Daily Mail reported.
The Chula Vista Police Department has bought two drones at $11,000 that can be fitted with speakers and night vision cameras so that police do not necessarily have to risk their health by getting into close contact with those defying the directives.
In an attempt to drastically reduce the number of visitors to parks after many took advantage of nice weather over the weekend to enjoy the outdoors despite the governor’s orders, Newsom has also closed parking lots at many state parks and beaches, Cal Matters reported.
Another possible use for the drones is that they could help police inform the homeless more efficiently about the dangers of the pandemic, especially since many in the vulnerable population are unaware of the resources available to them.
"The outbreak has changed my view of expanding the program as rapidly as I can," Captain Vern Sallee told the Financial Times.
"We have not traditionally mounted speakers to our drones, but ... if we need to cover a large area to get an announcement out, or if there were a crowd somewhere that we needed to disperse -- we could do it without getting police officers involved."
The police department bought the drones from the Chinese company DJI, despite U.S. officials warning about the threat Chinese-made drones could pose to the United States.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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