Sooner or later someone will make one cheap enough for police forces to buy. We ought to put some thought into whether that is going to be a good thing in the long run.
On the plus side:
- faster response to 911 calls, since UAVs can avoid traffic, and if cheap enough,
they could be salted about the place in a powered off state.
- less need for police to risk their lives, and consequently
better policing of gang-ridden areas.
On the minus side:
- police become (even more) disconnected from the general
public, potentially developing a culture of impunity
- spread of surveillance
On the plus side:
they could be salted about the place in a powered off state. better policing of gang-ridden areas.On the minus side:
public, potentially developing a culture of impunity - spread of surveillance