Although this news has kind of an "Is there a there there" vibe, a California State Appeals Court has ruled that some police videos must be released to journalists and the public at large. The 3-0 ruling overturns a judge's decision in San Diego County that all police footage from 911 calls in Chula Vista does not have to be shared or otherwise released.
Of course, California police departments can keep drone footage under wraps if the surveillance video is part of a criminal investigation or violates someone's right to privacy.
“This is an important case," said David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition in San Rafael. "The public has an interest in how a city is using drones, whether it’s complying with its own rules and properly respecting privacy.”
The Coalition also argued that keeping police drone videos top secret would "blunt public understanding of a technology that is being used to replace basic police activity."
Law-enforcement agencies in the state are apparently okay with the ruling. "It's very thorough and well-written,” said Richard Pinckard of the Peace Officers Research Association of California. "It should not disrupt police practices."
In addition to Chula Vista, California police departments in Alameda and Contra Costa and Marin counties, as well as cities such as San Jose, Richmond, Fremont, and Pittsburg have been authorized to use drones for surveillance.
While journalists may cheer to be provided access to 911 video content regarding lost pets, roving animal predators, fires, floods, and the like, it seems like the public isn't necessarily in store for some thrilling police scenes. As drones are used more and more for data gathering, public privacy issues should be addressed, of course, and as some body-cam video can already be accessed by journalists and other watchdog agencies, this ruling seems in line with keeping police actions as transparent as possible.
