Drone Flying Over Times Square Draws Worries From Councilman

NEW YORK — One city councilman won't be counting down to a police drone's landmark flight over Times Square.

The NYPD plans to use a drone in its security scheme for the massive New Year's Eve celebration for the first time on Monday. While he said drones can be valuable for public safety, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Inwood) expressed concerns about how police will balance the need for security with revelers' privacy.

"(T)he use of drone technology to deter criminal activity and monitor safety in Times Square must be conducted in a transparent manner and respect citizens' rights to privacy," Rodriguez, who sits on the Council's Public Safety Committee, said in a statement Monday.

Rodriguez's worries are similar to those expressed by some advocacy groups when the NYPD unveiled its fleet of 14 drones early this month. He said he is drafting legislation to require the Police Department to report on its use of the tiny aircraft.

The drone is just a small piece of the NYPD's security plan for the ball drop, a huge public event that's expected to draw as many as 2 million people to Times Squre.

The flying camera will give police an "expansive view" from above of the entire Times Square area, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at a Friday news conference.

Chief of Department Terence Monahan has said only a single drone would be used, but O'Neill declined to confirm the specific number. The NYPD's Aviation Unit will also cover the event from above, and police will be watching feeds from more than 1,200 cameras on the ground, officials said.

While Rodriguez praised the NYPD for its work to keep the city safe, he said law enforcement has previously "has overstepped their mandate and spied on communities" such as Muslims. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has similarly called the NYPD's drone program troubling given the department's history of religious profiling.

"If they are not used properly with a level of transparency, it can violate our constitutional rights," Rodriguez, who is also running for public advocate, said in an interview.

The police drones are meant to help with search and rescue missions, hostage situations and evidence searches at inaccessible sites, among other circumstances.

The NYPD restricts who can pilot the drones, Monahan said earlier this month. The department has said they won't be used for routine patrols or warrantless searches.

"This took us a long time to come up with," Monahan said earlier this month. "We wanted to make sure we were very thorough."

(Lead image: City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is seen in 2014. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)