Weaponized Drones: North Dakota’s Cops Upgrade their Toys

Weaponized Drones: North Dakota’s Cops Upgrade their Toys
by Teresita Blanco




A few years ago, North Dakota had the Bill 1328. The bill forbade the use of weaponized drones. Through some clever lobbying, the police was able to upgrade their drones with weapons. The drones can have any sort of weapon as long as a weapon is not lethal. Originally, this bill was meant to keep cops from having lethal drones.

It also demanded that cops get a license for getting a drone.  A member of the Peace Officer’s Association had the bill amended to focus on lethal weapons. Things that are not considered lethal are pepper sprays, sound cannons, rubber bullets and Tasers. It is interesting to note that so called non-lethal weapons have killed this year 39 Americans.




Overall, the police officers hate all facets of the bill. They hate that they need a separate search warrant to cover the drone. The Department of Commerce has also critiqued the bill since drone salesmen would benefit from lax regulation.  Also, weaponized drones could save police officers’ lives.