The Seattle Police Department is one of 50 organizations that have received permission from the federal government to operat unmanned aerial vehicles -- AKA drones.
The information came to light in a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for greater freedom, particularly as it relates to technology.
Interestingly, the information released to EFF also showed that the Washington State Department of Transportation also had received authorization to operate a drone. But that authorization has since expired.
(The Wall Street Journal first reported on the EFF findings.)
