California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Sunday that would have required law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using surveillance drones, saying that while there are some circumstances when a warrant is necessary, this particular bill went too far.
In Brown's veto message, he said the bill would impose restrictions on law enforcement beyond existing state and federal privacy protections against unreasonable search and seizures.
"There are undoubtedly circumstances where a warrant is appropriate," Brown said in his veto message. "The bill's exceptions, however, appear to be too narrow and could impose requirements beyond what is required by either the Fourth Amendment or the privacy provisions in the California Constitution."
Except in cases of environmental emergencies such as oil or chemical spills, bill AB 1327 would have required government to secure a warrant from a judge before using surveillance drones.
The bill would also have required agencies to publicly announce their intent to buy and use drones, and would have require them to destroy most of the data collected within one year.
Bill author Assemblyman Jeff Gorell commented on the veto saying it was "very disappointing," adding that expanded use of drones by law enforcement has pushed the boundaries of the public's reasonable expectation of privacy, triggering a need for protection.
"We're increasingly living in a surveillance society as the government uses new technology to track and watch the activities of Americans," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's disappointing that the governor decided to side with law enforcement in this case over the privacy interests of California."
Gorell also warned the administration that legislators will likely react by proposing a moratorium on drone use in the state.
As of early 2014, anti-drone legislation is currently proposed in 43 states and enacted in 9 states, according to a report by the ACLU.
