Oxnard—The BRINC Drone Agreement story continues with Issac Michael Morales saying during public comments that the Drone surveillance program concerns him.
THE Council approved its BRINC Drone Agreement with a 6-1 vote to act as a first responder plan in the City. Council Member Arthur Valenzuela voted no.
“While we all desire safety and security in our community, most acknowledge the use of Drones by law enforcement to monitor without a warrant is a violation of our most basic Constitutional rights and civil liberties,” Morales said. “We cannot allow our backyards, porches, patios, homes, apartments, and other private spaces to be targets for unwarranted surveillance. It’s an overreach and undermines the trust between Law Enforcement and the community it’s meant to serve.”
Melissa Valdez said drones can be useful Public Safety tools, but deploying them without proper regulations poses risks to privacy, freedoms, and trust.
“Our preliminary report, which you should peruse, is the lack of outreach,” she said. “None of this program has been provided in Spanish that I can find, despite our City’s diverse population. The YouTube presentation was only available in English. How can we build trust if significant portions of our community are left out…
