CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio law enforcement agencies will operate under new statewide rules for drone surveillance beginning Oct. 6, including a warrant requirement for certain drone searches of interiors and nine circumstances in which agencies may conduct surveillance without first obtaining one.
The rules are part of House Bill 251, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed July 7. The law also requires agencies to document every surveillance flight, classifies certain flight and surveillance data as public records unless an existing exemption applies and prohibits law enforcement agencies from using or authorizing drones armed with lethal weapons.
The change comes as Northeast Ohio departments use drones for searches, crime scenes, crashes and other public-safety work. In a cleveland.com story published Wednesday, Garfield Heights police said they used a drone Sept. 7 to watch two boys whom police described as people of interest in a series of overnight vehicle break-ins. Officers moved in after about nine minutes and recovered a stolen .22-caliber rifle, police said…