Toronto Police Drone Use

police drones

What Drones Are They Using?

Since 2016, Toronto Police quietly built a fleet of 21 drones and trained 25 officers to operate them. The public was never consulted, and no one was asked for permission. Surveillance has expanded without accountability.

The $30,000 Surveillance Drone

Toronto Police use high-end drones like the DJI Matrice 300 and 350 RTK. These drones have thermal cameras, long-range zoom, and can fly for nearly an hour. This military-grade technology is watching over the city with no limits or oversight.

Smaller Drones, Same Power

They also use smaller drones like the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, which comes equipped with thermal cameras, spotlights, speakers, and GPS-tagged video. One officer can launch it within seconds. These drones are designed to monitor crowds and neighborhoods quickly and quietly.

Older Models Still Watching You

Even older drones like the Phantom 4 Pro remain in use. They shoot 4K video and can stay airborne for 30 minutes. Police use these for training, accidents, and surveillance. Even these basic drones can record protests and entire neighborhoods without your knowledge.

There Are No Rules

The Toronto Police Services Board has never created or approved any official drone policy. All footage is stored on Evidence.com, a private cloud owned by a US company called Axon. This means your footage could be hacked or shared with other agencies. Even if you did nothing wrong, your face is now logged in a system with no guarantees about who sees it or how it’s used.

They’re Tracking Protesters

Drones scan crowds, zoom in on faces, and follow people in public spaces. Everything is recorded and saved. This lets police identify and track protesters in real time, intimidating and silencing those who speak out.

Hamilton’s Drone Program Sparked Outrage

Hamilton Police rolled out their drone program without consulting the public or privacy officials. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association condemned it as a serious invasion of privacy and demanded it be shut down. Only after public pressure did Hamilton finally engage with privacy regulators. Meanwhile, Toronto’s drone program is bigger and growing without any real oversight or challenge.

You’ve Already Been Recorded

Toronto Police flew multiple drones over Canada Day crowds. They also use drones at 911 calls and protests with no public notice. You don’t have to be doing anything wrong to be recorded. Just being in public puts you under watch.

This Is a Permanent System

Drone surveillance connects to facial recognition, police body cameras, and private cloud storage. This infrastructure collects and stores massive amounts of data about people’s movements and actions. Once built, it won’t go away. It will grow and be used to control and silence communities.

https://spacing.ca/toronto/2024/07/11/lorinc-eyes-in-the-sky

https://enterprise.dji.com/matrice-300-rtk

https://www.dji.com/mavic-2-enterprise

https://www.dji.com/phantom-4-pro

https://www.axon.com/products/evidence

https://globalnews.ca/news/9754582/ccla-demands-hamilton-police-suspend-drone-program

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-police-drone-program-privacy-1.6857571

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/drones-first-responders-policing-threat-privacy

https://www.police1.com/police-products/drones/articles/number-of-police-agencies-using-drones-has-grown-54-in-past-six-years-vlRQjMwF0Gfj7C37/

https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2024/03/ico-calls-for-clearer-controls-around-police-use-of-drones/