This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lawmakers voted Thursday to remove some restrictions they created last year on how police may use aerial drones.
The Senate passed HB296 on a 26-0 vote, and sent it to Gov. Gary Herbert for his signature.
It would allow police to use drones without first obtaining a search warrant for search-and-rescue operations in areas where privacy is not expected, such as in public forests and lands.
It would also allow use without a warrant for training in areas limited to three square miles where there are no occupied structures.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, has said Box Elder County is building a training range for drones, but found police statewide had little interest in it or drones because a search warrant is normally required for their use — so he introduced his bill.
— Lee Davidson