Drone may be coming to Miami-DadeVIDEO = http://www.wsvn.com/news/...es/local/21003198189967/ DORAL, Fla. (WSVN) -- A new piece of technology may soon be comingto South Florida, but is already raising concerns from residents.TheMiami-Dade Police Department recently finalized a deal to buy a drone,which is an unmanned plane that is equipped with cameras. Drones havebeen used for years in Iraq and Afghanistan in the war against terror.Many residents are concerned that the new technology will violate their privacy.MDPDpurchased a drone named T-hawk from defense firm Honeywell to assistwith the department's Special Response Team's operations. The 20-pounddrone can fly for 40 minutes, reach heights of 10,500 feet and cruisein the air at 46 miles an hour. "It gives us a good opportunity to havean eye up there. Not a surveilling eye, not a spying eye. Let's makethe distinction. A surveilling eye to help us to do the things we needto do, honestly to keep people safe," said Miami-Dade Police DirectorJames Loftus.The ACLU is one of the organizations that isconcerned about the drone that may soon be coming to Miami-Dade County.Howard Simon, the executive director of the ACLU of Florida approves ofthe drones but also advocates strict regulation of the drones."Technology: there's no reason not to embrace technology if it makesthe streets safer, if it helps the police. The concern is, though, thatevery new technology also has within it the capacity to threatenpeople's privacy,"he said.Terrorism Expert Douglas Haas,however, believes that the drones will help in many ways, includingfighting crime. "This has unlimited capabilities," said Haas. "Not onlyis it good tactically for a SWAT callout or any tactical situation,there's numerous search and rescue applications for it after ahurricane. They could send one of these up fast and assess damage."Residentshave also questioned whether or notMiami-Dade Police can afford topurchase the drone, especially since the department has recently made alot of budget cuts. "Nothing happens quickly in the purchasing process,and that's something that really was in place, the funds for that, acouple of years ago," Loftus said.The purchase of drone may have been made possible through a federal grant; however, this has not been confirmed.Honeywellhas applied to the FAA for clearance to fly the drone in urban areas.This has never been allowed before, but if it does happen, theMiami-Dade Police Department will be the first police agency in the USto use the technology.