BIG BROTHER

NYPD Drones Will Buzz Over Labor Day Weekend Backyard Parties

Privacy advocates aren’t happy.

Your backyard party in New York City this Labor Day weekend could be crashed by an uninvited guest: an NYPD surveillance drone. Officials announced Thursday they would use the aircraft in response to complaints about large gatherings, even including private events. “If a caller states there’s a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party,” Assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said at a news conference. Privacy advocates immediately denounced the plan, questioning its legality and whether residents would tolerate such intrusions. “Clearly, flying a drone over a backyard barbecue is a step too far for many New Yorkers,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP).