The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington says the Seattle Police Department's recent federal approval to use drones for aerial monitoring should spark a discussion among city leaders about privacy and law enforcement's use of technology.

Documents obtained by the advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation say the department is among dozens of law-enforcement agencies, academic institutions and other agencies that were recently given approval by the Federal Aviation Administration to use unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones.

The FAA approval was granted after President Barack Obama signed a law in February that compelled the agency to plan for safe integration of civilian drones into American airspace by 2015.

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Information from The Seattle Times