An Israeli drone company is promoting an autonomous drone system to American police departments that can automatically deploy police drones to locations of suspected crimes. A sheriff’s department in Louisiana has tested the system, called Orion, multiple times, which is already in use by the Israeli national police and several Israeli settlements since October 7, according to the founder of the company.
Developed by the Israeli company High Lander, Orion enables users to control hundreds of drones simultaneously by automating their navigation and actions without user intervention. The software system transforms drones into “next-generation security guards,” as stated in an Orion brochure.
In February, High Lander conducted a demonstration event in Baton Rouge to present the “drone-in-a-box solution,” which the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office initially tested in June of the previous year. High Lander stated in a LinkedIn post that the system would revolutionize crime-fighting in Baton Rouge, and the event was attended by officers from various locations across the country.
The company used its pilot program in Louisiana to encourage other law enforcement agencies to explore Orion, and the February event in Louisiana was part of a tour that included stops in San Diego, Phoenix, and Miami, as per LinkedIn posts.
Orion’s capabilities are impressive. A police force could have drones automatically launch from charging stations when triggered by events like gunshots, burglaries, and car accidents. Once deployed, the drones can carry out pre-defined tasks such as releasing cargo, transmitting live video feeds, identifying and searching for individuals, objects, or vehicles using AI and thermal sensors, and making announcements via loudspeakers. If multiple calls come in, Orion can automatically prioritize them.
A High Lander blog post about the project mentioned that “new capabilities are being discovered all the time.”
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office conducted “mock scenario testing” with High Lander’s system on approximately five occasions, according to Casey Hicks, the department’s public information director. Hicks stated that the demonstrations took place at the sheriff’s range facility and that there was no knowledge of any use in the community at any point.
High Lander did not respond to a request for comment.
There is a documented history of U.S.-Israel security tech exchanges, which civil rights and racial justice advocates have criticized for contributing to police militarization. Tel Aviv-based High Lander collaborated with Stephenson Technologies Corporation, a Louisiana nonprofit working with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, to introduce Orion to East Baton Rouge, with funding of up to $1 million from the Israel–U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, supported equally by the U.S. and Israeli governments.
“People should be really concerned that our tax dollars often go directly into the pockets of American and Israeli tech millionaires or billionaires, and that these technologies are then used on us and our neighbors, making people more unsafe,” said Lou Blumberg, an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace and Eye on Surveillance, an organization monitoring surveillance technology adoption in New Orleans.
“This technology emanating from Israel is deeply involved in human rights abuses,” Blumberg added, “because you cannot separate the tech from the apartheid.”
From Israel to Louisiana
In East Baton Rouge, High Lander and Stephenson Technologies integrated the drone platform “with the city of Baton Rouge’s citywide system of gunshot sensors” for testing by the sheriff’s department, as detailed on High Lander’s website. In a December post about the project, the company cited an employee who expressed satisfaction in witnessing the first autonomous dispatch.
The city utilizes ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection technology recently discontinued by the city of Chicago due to criticisms of racist bias and inaccuracy.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has faced accusations of mistreatment and harassment towards people of color, including the unauthorized use of acoustic weapons on protesters, raising concerns among local activists regarding the implementation of Orion.
Blumberg mentioned that when Israeli security tech is exported to the U.S., it is often “used to surveil and criminalize, mostly, young Black boys.” Referring to other surveillance technologies like facial recognition, Blumberg added that there is no statistical evidence showing that they help prevent crimes or enhance public safety.
Carl Dabadie, the head of training at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, participated in a police training program in Israel about ten years ago and pledged to bring back his learnings to the local community.
The Anti-Defamation League invited Dabadie, who was then the chief of the Baton Rouge Police Department, to attend a National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in Israel in 2014. Seeking funding for the training, Dabadie indicated that there are “several terrrist targets” [sic] in Baton Rouge, seemingly referring to local oil refineries, according to a document obtained through a public records request. Following the eight-day seminar, during which participants visited an Israeli police department in Jerusalem and a border outpost, Dabadie mentioned plans to upgrade the department’s riot gear.
“Instead of real bullets and shooting at people, they use foam bullets, tear gas, shields, and even paintballs,” he enthusiastically stated.
However, Dabadie stood by the use of “militarized tactics” and law enforcement in defense of our community. In 2020, he was appointed as the head of training for the sheriff’s office.
Protesters and civil rights organizations took legal action against several police departments and officials, including Dabadie and East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux III, for violating their civil rights during the 2016 protests.
During court proceedings related to one of the lawsuits, an officer admitted that law enforcement had utilized a crowd-dispersing acoustic weapon against protesters without adequate training. As a result, the plaintiffs were awarded a $1.2 million settlement last year.
Attorney William Most, who filed the lawsuit, expressed concerns about the sheriff’s department’s history and its potential use of an autonomous drone system. He emphasized the importance of clear safeguards to protect the rights of Baton Rouge residents.
Meanwhile, High Lander’s business has thrived in the midst of Israel’s conflict with Gaza. Following an emergency measure in Israel, civilian drones were required to be connected to an approved unmanned traffic management system. High Lander became the first approved UTM system in Israel, with the country’s Air Force previously testing the company’s drone technology.
The drones developed by High Lander feature “counter-drone” capabilities to take control and land enemy drones, as well as detect their controllers’ locations. Co-founder Alon Abelson, a former Israeli Air Force commander, presented the company’s technology in April, highlighting the unique surveillance capabilities of their Orion system.
High Lander utilizes numerous sensors throughout Israel to transform drone fleets into an information-sharing network. This system enables drones to automatically launch from chargers triggered by cameras, smoke detectors, or smart fences. Abelson noted the deployment of this system to hundreds of settlements across the country since October 7.
