Baton Rouge Acquires a Straight-Up Military Surveillance Drone

"Baton Rouge bought the Stalker VXE30 from Edge Autonomy, which partners with Lockheed Martin , and began operating under the brand Redwire this week . According to reporting from WBRZ ABC2 in Louisiana , the drone, along with training and batteries, costs about $1 million."

"All of the regular concerns surrounding drones apply to this new one in use by Baton Rouge: Drones can access and view spaces that are otherwise off-limits to law enforcement, including backyards, decks, and other areas of personal property. Footage captured by camera-enabled drones may be stored and shared in ways that go far beyond the initial flight. Additional camera-based surveillance can be installed on the drone, including automated license plate readers and the retroactive application of biometric analysis, such as face recognition ."

"Baton Rouge is now one of the first local police departments in the United States to deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with such extensive surveillance capabilities - a dangerous escalation in the militarization of local law enforcement. However, the use of a military-grade drone hypercharges these concerns. Stalker VXE30's surveillance capabilities extend for dozens of miles, and it can fly faster and longer than standard police drones already in use."

Baton Rouge acquired a Stalker VXE30 UAV from Edge Autonomy — a Lockheed Martin partner — and began operating it under the Redwire brand, with the drone, training, and batteries costing about $1 million. The UAV offers surveillance range extending dozens of miles and greater speed and endurance than typical police drones. Camera-enabled flights can access private spaces, store and share footage beyond initial flights, and accept added sensors like automated license plate readers and retroactive biometric analysis such as face recognition. The deployment represents an escalation in the militarization of local policing and raises transparency and public-accountability concerns.

Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation