The Alameda County Sheriff's department could become the first law enforcement agency in California to use drones. A spokesman says the department is seeking a grant to purchase a surveillance drone for use in search and rescue missions, to hunt for a bomb, track a suspect with a gun, or in any situation where it's safer to watch from the air than in person.

But Attorney Linda Lye with the ACLU of Northern California says drones can easily be abused.
 
"And drones fundamentally change the nature of the relationship between the police and the public," Lye said, "because they can be used for warrantless mass surveillance."

Lye says the use of drones should be subject to public debate and a vote by elected officials.