Moving beyond privacy and airspace safety: Guidelines for just drones in policing

TL;DR

This paper explores public perceptions of police drone use, emphasizing justice as a key factor in acceptance, and proposes guidelines to ensure ethical and legitimate deployment of drones in policing.

Contribution

It introduces a justice-based framework for understanding public acceptance of police drones and offers practical guidelines to align drone use with societal expectations.

Findings

Public concerns extend beyond safety and privacy.

Perceived justice influences drone acceptance.

Guidelines can improve legitimacy of police drone operations.

Abstract

The use of drones offers police forces potential gains in efficiency and safety. However, their use may also harm public perception of the police if drones are refused. Therefore, police forces should consider the perception of bystanders and broader society to maximize drones' potential. This article examines the concerns expressed by members of the public during a field trial involving 52 test participants. Analysis of the group interviews suggests that their worries go beyond airspace safety and privacy, broadly discussed in existing literature and regulations. The interpretation of the results indicates that the perceived justice of drone use is a significant factor in acceptance. Leveraging the concept of organizational justice and data collected, we propose a catalogue of guidelines for just operation of drones to supplement the existing policy. We present the organizational justice perspective as a framework to integrate the concerns of the public and bystanders into legal work. Finally, we discuss the relevance of justice for the legitimacy of the police's actions and provide implications for research and practice.