Overview

• Flock Safety announced it is making its police-tested drones available to private-sector security, including retailers targeting shoplifting.
• Store security can launch camera-equipped drones from on-site docking stations to follow suspects and track vehicles when beyond-visual-line-of-sight waivers apply.
• The live video feed can be viewed by a company’s security team or transmitted directly to local police departments.
• The company says it is in talks with large retailers, naming Morning Star as its only identified private customer to date.
• The ACLU criticizes the expansion as a threat to privacy and Fourth Amendment protections as the FAA drafts new rules and disputes over access to police drone footage persist.