Maryland's Office of the Public Defender has asked the Baltimore Police Department to stop filming citizens from the sky until the public is briefed on the program and defense attorneys are given access to the footage. The public defender also wants to know how evidence gathered by the recently disclosed aerial surveillance program has been stored, accessed and used in the prosecution of criminal defendants. The office said the program should be shelved until there are "in-depth conversations" about how it works, and police should stop analyzing footage unless they have "prior judicial authorization in the form of a search warrant or equivalent court order." Baltimore Deputy Public Defender Natalie Finegar made those requests in letters delivered Monday to Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby. "We are requesting that this surveillance program be suspended until such time as public hearings can be held and a clear avenue of discovery and access to data by defense attorneys is established," Finegar wrote to Davis.

WASHINGTON – Federal aviation officials estimate there will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday. Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said at a news conference that the rules governing the operation of small commercial drones are designed to protect safety without stifling innovation. Commercial operators initially complained that the new rules would be too rigid. The agency responded by creating a system to grant exemptions to the rules for companies that show they can operate safely.

Look alive, stateside drone pilots: the Federal Aviation Administration's initial set of operational rules for commercial UAV flights officially goes into effect today. Those rules were finalized back in June and govern any unmanned UAV under 55 pounds that is flown for "non-hobbyist purposes." As a quick refresher, drones that meet those qualifications can only operate during daylight hours (until dusk if the drone is equipped with warning lights) and must fly within the pilot's line of sight. Commercial drone pilots are also required to be at least 16 years old and will need to pass an Aeronautical Knowledge Test at a certified testing center before they can get their remote pilot certificate. Fully automated flights like the Amazon's planned delivery service or automated surveying devices are still not allowed.

There will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration estimate. The rules governing the operation of small commercial drones were designed to protect safety without stifling innovation, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a news conference. Commercial operators initially complained that the new rules would be too rigid. FILE - In this May 21, 2015 file photo, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta, speaks during a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. Federal aviation officials estimate there will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that went into effect on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016.

Drones are flown at a training class in Las Vegas in anticipation of new regulations allowing their commercial use. Drones are flown at a training class in Las Vegas in anticipation of new regulations allowing their commercial use. We are in "one of the most dramatic periods of change in the history of transportation," says Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. He was talking about all of it: the self-driving cars, the smart-city movement, the maritime innovations. The Federal Aviation Administration expects some 600,000 drones to be used commercially within a year.

Equipped with a state-of-the-art thermal camera, the drone crisscrossed the field, scanning it for cool, soggy patches where a gopher may have chewed through the buried drip irrigation line and caused a leak. In the drought-prone West, where every drop of water counts, California farmers are in a constant search for ways to efficiently use the increasingly scarce resource. Pictured above, Danny Royer, vice president of technology at Bowles Farming Co., prepares to pilot a drone over a tomato field near Los Banos, Calif. Farmers say leak-detecting drones can help save massive amounts of water. The video camera is paired up with a smartphone or computer tablet, which is used to control the drone.

FILE - In this May 21, 2015 file photo, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta, speaks during a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. Federal aviation officials estimate there will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that went into effect on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Huerta said at a news conference that the rules governing the operation of small commercial drones are designed to protect safety without stifling innovation.

For years, American businesses have been clamoring for the government to roll out a set of regulations for drone technology so that the companies can legally start using them for everything from agriculture to filmmaking to delivering packages. On Monday, an important set of federal drone rules finally took effect across the country -- making it possible for firms to start using drones in a limited manner. Over time, the government will write other rules that will enable the use of commercial drones even more widely. But for now, this marks a huge milestone for the industry, one that's likely to lead to big changes for business and the economy. Here's what you need to know to get up to speed: Most important are the big limitations.

Did you read Farhad Manjoo's article in yesterday's "New York Times"? If you get your package via drone, and the costs drop as distribution becomes more efficient, not only do all those delivery people lose their gigs, and the people in the warehouse, which runs on robots, too, but so do the people in physical retail, which can no longer compete. Sounds good, very efficient, BUT WHERE IS EVERYBODY SUPPOSED TO WORK! The good news is you can have instant access to products at a cheap price. Been to a mall recently?

For companies that want to use small drones, a new era began Monday. That's when rules kicked in that free them from having to request special permission from the federal government for any commercial drone endeavor -- a waiver process that often took months. Although industry experts say the Federal Aviation Administration's new rules on commercial drones largely make it easier for companies to use the unmanned aerial vehicles, there are still a lot of constraints. Under the new commercial-drone rules, operators must keep their drones within visual line of sight -- that is, the person flying the drone must be able to see it with the naked eye -- and can fly only during the day, though twilight flying is permitted if the drone has anti-collision lights. Drones cannot fly over people who are not directly participating in the operation or go higher than 400 feet above the ground.