CONCORD, N.H. — Two New Hampshire lawmakers have resurrected an effort to limit the use of drones to protect residents’ privacy, despite the failure of efforts last year.
New Hampshire was among 43 states last year to introduce bills and resolutions concerning the unmanned aircraft. But the legislation that would have prohibited drones from snapping pictures of people’s houses could not make it through the state House.
This year, Republican state Representatives Neal Kurk and Joe Duarte have sponsored separate bills to require police to get a warrant if they want to use evidence obtained by using drones as surveillance. Because of questions last year about possible conflicts with federal law, Kurk this time included a provision that his bill would only take effect if it is allowed under federal law.
The military and some law enforcement agencies already use the devices, but the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t allow commercial use of drones. By last month, 545 drones had FAA authorization to fly in domestic airspace, but Kurk didn’t think any in New Hampshire had been licensed.
Kensington Police Chief Mike Sielicki, president of the New Hampshire police chiefs association, opposes the bills because uses for the technology are still evolving. He envisions using a drone when intervening in a domestic dispute or apprehending a bank robber.
‘‘This could save lives,’’ he said. ‘‘It could save civilians. It could save officers.’’
Kirk Broders, an assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of New Hampshire, has been using a small hexicopter — a small drone that hovers — to photograph apple orchards to pinpoint problems. Under Kurk’s bill, Broders would have to get permission from property owners and anyone whose picture his research drone captured — a hurdle that could stifle his research.
Mario Mairena of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, an international trade group that promotes drones, said unmanned aircraft should fall under the same warrant requirements as manned aircraft, such as helicopters and airplanes.
‘‘If we’re going to have an honest debate about surveillance, it should be technically neutral ,’’ he said.
Congress has given the FAA until September 2015 to integrate the private and commercial use of drones into US airspace.