New BINJ Reporting On Drones And Police Accountability

New reporting by Eliza Dewey asks if Boston police are sharing surveillance data with federal immigration officials

BY CHRIS FARAONE
September 11, 2025

TAGS: Boston, BPD, drones, government, government accountability, police, surveillance

The Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism has been busy covering drones this year.

In January, Chris Faraone broke the story that a Canadian company secured Federal Aviation Administration permission for “drone operations over people and moving vehicles.” Specifically, the “rare urban environment FAA waiver [was] granted … for [a] prescribed flight route over Boston.”

Meanwhile, even progressive cities have caved to police drone surveillance in the Trump era.

And in March, Dana Forsythe reported on how Massachusetts authorities are increasingly monitoring civilian drone use.

In a Sept. 10 feature, Eliza Dewey asked if the Boston Police Department is sharing footage from unmanned aerial vehicles with federal law enforcement agencies. And in the October followup, you can see the BPD’s response.

See the video below for a breakdown by BINJ Editorial Director Chris Faraone.

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CHRIS FARAONE

A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

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