U.S. Justice Department spent $4.9 million on drones, new rules urged: watchdog

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. Justice Department spent $4.9 million on drones, new rules urged: watchdog

By Ian Simpson
WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 26, 2013 6:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice should develop guidelines on the use of its $4.9 million drone and unmanned aircraft program in the face of privacy concerns, the department's watchdog said on Thursday.

The interim report from the department's inspector general comes amid criticism from civil rights groups over President Barack Obama's use of domestic surveillance, from unmanned aircraft to monitoring of Americans' phone records.

Four Justice Department units spent $3.7 million from 2004 through May this year on drones, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation accounting for more than 80 percent of the purchases, the report on the department's drone use and policies said.

The units, which include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, had bought the drone aircraft for testing or use.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-usa-security-drones-idUSBRE98P19W20130926

[pscot]

1. that's not good

what kind of government cuts food for the lower orders while it ramps up the police state?