The state police insist that their "unmanned aircraft system" is not a surveillance program. They've worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to protect citizen rights and all autonomous flights will be reserved for the emergencies listed in Illinois' Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act passed in 2013. The bill makes provisions for the use of drones in missing person investigations, disasters and other events that threaten human life. For now, the system is expected to provide clear aerial shots that will allow them to save time and clear highways more efficiently at the time of a crash.

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