FBI Director Acknowledges Domestic Use Of Surveillance Drones, Says Agency Is ‘Exploring’ Guidelines

During a Senate hearing, FBI chief Robert Mueller acknowledged the use of drones on U.S. soil. He said they were for the purpose of surveillance — and pointed out that the agency does so in a “very minimal” way. Asked about policies and limits, Mueller said it’s a work in progress.

Asked by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) whether the FBI uses drones, Mueller said the agency uses them for surveillance. “I think I can assume,” Grassley followed up, “since you do use drones, that the FBI has developed a set of policies, procedures, and operational limits on the use of drones and whether or not any privacy impact on American citizens?

“We are in the initial stages of doing that,” Mueller replied. “I will tell you that our footprint is very small. We have very few and have limited use — and we’re exploring not only the use, but also the necessary guidelines for that use.”

“Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on U.S. soil?” Grassley asked.

“Yes,” Mueller responded bluntly, adding that it does so in a “very, very minimal way, and very seldom.”

Later, addressing Sen. Dianne Feinstein‘s (D-CA) question, Mueller reiterated that the drone use was seldom and “very narrowly focused on particularized cases and particularized needs.”

Watch below, via C-SPAN:

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!