The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement officers must obtain a warrant before using aircraft to scope out the area around a person’s home with binoculars or cameras with zoom lenses.
JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska law enforcement officers must obtain a warrant before using aircraft to scope out the area around a person’s home with binoculars or cameras with zoom lenses, the state’s highest court ruled in a decision released Friday.
“APD accounts for the expectation of privacy while using drones as addressed in APD’s Policy, Regulations and Procedures Manual and the Municipality of Anchorage’s Municipal Code,” Amanda Brimanis, APD communications specialist, wrote in a statement Friday. According to the ruling, McKelvey’s property was heavily wooded, with a driveway leading to a clearing where a house and greenhouse were located. Trees blocked the ground-level view of the buildings from outside the clearing, and a gate blocked cars from entering.
The state maintained “that because small airplane travel is so common in Alaska, and because any passenger might peer into your yard and snap a picture of you, law enforcement officials may do the same. We disagree,” the Alaska Supreme Court decision states.
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