NOPD's Drone Manual Quietly Allowed Weapons — Weeks Before Captain Swore Otherwise
Source: https://www.404media.co/new-orleans-cops-published-policy-document-allowing-weaponized-drones/
Executive Briefing
- Reveals NOPD published a draft drone manual allowing weapons with superintendent approval, later quietly replaced with a ban
- Contradicts NOPD captain's sworn April 2026 testimony to city council that no drones were or would be armed
- Signals a broader industry shift as Skydio CEO reversed the company's 2020 pledge never to weaponize its drones
- Warns EFF analyst that armed drones lower the psychological barrier for police use of force via remote button-press
- Highlights NOPD's pattern of circumventing oversight, including secret facial recognition and stonewalled public records requests
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