One video shows a man riding a subway car; another a man collecting shell casings on a rooftop. Both videos, recorded by NYPD drones, demonstrate drones can be a boon to law enforcement. police say.
“The NYPD’s use of drones as a strategic, emergency response saves lives on our subway system and streets,” the department said in a statement, “allows for an immediate deployment to dangerous situations, and, ultimately, protects everyday New Yorkers.”
Critics of the emerging technology, though, have been less than enthusiastic, calling drones more of a novelty than a way to improve public safety. They worry that the department does not care enough about the privacy concerns that have been publicly raised.
Albert Fox Cahn, who heads the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), acknowledged drones can be effective in certain situations — such as water rescues. But he said there are already enough cameras to record subway surfers and that taxpayer money should be spent on other measures.
“Drones can respond to tragedies, but they can’t keep us safe,” Cahn said. “Drones are gimmicks. Gimmicks can pay off on occasion, but it’s not a smart way to invest our tax dollars when you’re talking about something that is helpful just sometimes and is ripe for abuse.”
The NYPD last month announced it was stepping up its use of drones in a five-precinct pilot program in which the electronic devices would be sent out, along with patrol officers, on certain 911 calls, with the department noting a drone can often get to a scene before officers in a police cruiser.
The department also said that drones this year have helped nab 31 subway surfers through April. In a video obtained by the Daily News, a drone on the afternoon of April 2 spotted Isaiah Thompson, 29, as he rode outside the last car on the J train in Williamsburg.
The drone zooms in on Thompson, who does not appear to realize he is being watched. The video later shows him crossing the tracks at the Hewes St. station. When he gets to the other side of the tracks, a plainclothes officer leads him on to the platform, where he is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and trespass. Thompson’s case is pending; his lawyer did not respond to request for comment.
In the other video, an NYPD drone on the evening of April 12 was dispatched to a ShotSpotter alert in the Bronx, by E. 188th St. near Marion Ave., police said. With officers on patrol not yet at the scene, the drone zooms in on Lawrence Taylor, 23, atop an apartment building roof, pacing back and forth and picking items up off the ground.
The video shows Taylor a short time later leaving the building and, as he is about to cross the street, put his arms up at the sight of a police cruiser that is now on scene. Officers are seen getting out, moving Taylor to the ground and arresting him.
Taylor, no relation to the NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, was charged with tampering with evidence — eight 9-mm. shell casings he had hid in his right shoe, according to a court criminal complaint.
Police said any shell casings that are recovered are analyzed to see if they can be linked to any other shootings.
Cary London, Taylor’s lawyer, predicted the case would be dismissed, saying “there was no attempt to tamper or conceal evidence.”
London also said that while technology “can be a helpful tool in public safety, we must ensure it doesn’t come at the expense of privacy rights or lead to overpolicing in communities already subject to disproportionate surveillance.”
The NYPD said it is aware of such concerns and that it “has worked with good-government groups to address privacy concerns and looks forward to our continued collaboration in keeping our city safe.”
Last May, the NYPD inspector general said in a report that the Police Department was still not fully compliant with the terms of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act.
The NYPD said that two months ago it accepted all 10 of the recommendations made by a monitor so that it could comply with the POST Act.
Originally Published: May 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT
