Well, now I know it's not the Police...
“I am pleased that, as of April 3rd, Virginia will become the first state in the nation to pass a statewide limitation on drone use. I encourage the Governor to take the lead in assuring that long term rules are put in place to protect privacy and ensure that warrants are required before drones can be used in surveillance of our homes, businesses and farms,” said Sen. Don McEachin, who carried the Senate version of the regulatory bill that was amended to become a two year moratorium bill.
The moratorium legislation, as submitted to the Governor, had the following features: 1) a two year moratorium on the use of drones by law enforcement and regulatory agencies; 2) a prohibition on the use of weaponized drones; 3) an exception to the moratorium that allows the use of unweaponized drones in search and rescue, and where Amber Alerts (children), Senior Alerts (older adults) or Blue Alerts (police) are activated; and 4) an exception to the moratorium that allows the National Guard to use drones as needed to maintain readiness for its federal mission but not for any law enforcement activity.
McDonnell’s amendments specify that the moratorium does not apply to institutions of higher education or other research institutions engaged in research and development of drone technology and include an additional exception for drone use in, and training for, emergency situations.