Operational Manual for the Investigation of Environmental and Urban Offenses using (UAS): a Technical-Legal Guide for Local Police

Authors

Sarah Grieco
University of Cassino and Southern Lazio
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2810-5221
Luigi Di Santo
University of Cassino and Southern Lazio
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6168-0028

Keywords:

Local Police, unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), environmental and urban enforcement, Digital evidence, Data protection

Synopsis

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Editore: EUC - Edizioni Università di Cassino

Series: Miscellaneous

Pages: 66

Language: Italian

Abstract: This paper analyses the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) by Local Police authorities in territorial monitoring and in the detection of environmental and urban planning violations. It provides a legal and operational framework for drone-based enforcement activities, outlining their regulatory basis within administrative law, criminal procedure and national and European aviation regulations. Particular attention is devoted to the evidentiary value of images and data collected through UAS, the conditions for their admissibility in administrative and judicial proceedings, and the need to preserve digital evidence through a proper chain of custody. The study also addresses data protection issues related to aerial surveillance activities, highlighting the principles of lawfulness, proportionality and data minimisation under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). The work is intended as a technical and training tool aimed at promoting a lawful and effective use of UAS technologies in environmental and territorial protection.

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Author Biographies

Sarah Grieco, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio

Sarah Grieco is a lawyer authorized to practice before Italy’s Supreme Court (Cassazione), holds a PhD, and is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Scuola Superiore Meridionale in Naples. She is a professor of Penal Execution Law at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, where she conducts teaching and research activities in the fields of criminal law and criminal procedure. She graduated with honors with a degree in Economics (specializing in business law) from LUISS Guido Carli University and a degree in Law from the University of Cassino. She has also gained international research experience, including a period at the University of Amsterdam. She is the author of numerous scientific publications, many published in top-tier (fascia A) journals, and of monographs. She serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals and regularly participates as a speaker at prominent national and international conferences and seminars. Additionally, she collaborates on research projects and institutional initiatives in the field of criminal procedure.

Luigi Di Santo, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio

Professor Luigi Di Santo is a Full Professor of Philosophy of Law in the Department of Economics and Law at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio. At the same university, he is a member of the Academic Senate, Deputy Director of the Department of Economics and Law, President of the Master’s Degree Course in Law, and Coordinator of the PhD program in ‘Public Administration and Enterprises for Innovation and Territorial Development’. Within the same institution, Prof. Di Santo is the Scientific Coordinator of the First-Level Master's program in ‘The Role of Public Administration in the Social Reuse of Assets Confiscated from Mafias’ and Scientific Coordinator of the First-Level Master's program in ‘Law and Maritime Policing’. Furthermore, Prof. Di Santo is the Scientific Director of the ‘Giorgio La Pira’ National School of Socio-Political Formation and the Scientific Director of the departmental research laboratory ‘Laboratory for the Hermeneutics of Legal Temporality’ – ETG. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Jacques Maritain International Institute in Rome. Prof. Di Santo has been the Editor-in-Chief and Scientific Director of the journal «Democrazia e Diritti Sociali» (a top-tier scientific journal in Area 12) since 2018 and the Editor-in-Chief of the Book Series for the Laboratory for the Hermeneutics of Legal Temporality published by CEDAM Padova since 2017. He is the author of over 110 publications and has presented at numerous national and international conferences. Among his recent publications is the monograph Per un'ermeneutica dei diritti sociali. I quattro Pilastri Famiglia Lavoro Partecipazione Salute (BOLOGNA: Il Mulino, ISBN: 978-88-15-28778-6, 2020).

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Published

February 11, 2026

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Details about this monograph

ISBN-13 (15)

978-88-8317-144-4

Publication date (01)

2026-02-11