Privacy Fears loom as Police Drones Soar
January 24, 2011
The suspect’s house, just west of this city, sat on a hilltop at the end of a steep, exposed driveway. Agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety believed the man inside had a large stash of drugs and a cache of weapons, including high-caliber rifles.
As dawn broke, a SWAT team waiting to execute a search warrant wanted a last-minute aerial sweep of the property, in part to check for unseen dangers. But there was a problem: The department’s aircraft section feared that if it put up a helicopter, the suspect might try to shoot it down.
So the Texas agents did what no state or local law enforcement agency had done before in a high-risk operation: They launched a drone. A bird-size device called a Wasp floated hundreds of feet into the sky and instantly beamed live video to agents on the ground. The SWAT team stormed the house and arrested the suspect.
“The nice thing is it’s covert,” said Bill C. Nabors Jr., chief pilot with the Texas DPS, who in a recent interview described the 2009 operation for the first time publicly. “You don’t hear it, and unless you know what you’re looking for, you can’t see it.”
|
|
|
Post Continues on www.washingtonpost.com
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged drones, FAA, law enforcement, privacy debate, unmanned aircraft. Bookmark the permalink.
Another step in the direction of a police state. I cannot believe this is allowed.
Well Rich,it looks like we’ll need one or two clays & skeet shooters in our units when the s__t hits the fan,or some good bird hunters!! just a thought!!!!
Unless we can get congress to back off the wants of homeland security, we are headed straight into a police state!!! They are doing exactly what Hitler & stalin did, to build a police state…have neighbor spy on neighbor…they asking kids in school to do this…walmart is pushing it…the FBI has asked garbage men to spy on us…this is pure police state stuff…approved by DHS!!!! AND Congress!!
When you have Left Wing Liberal Loony’s in control of the Government as we have now this kind of thing will continue to escalate! Government Control is what its all about, TSA’s Groping and Invasion of Americans Rights at our airports is an ongoing experiment as too how much Deliberate Degrading Humiliation and Control,Loss of Freedom and Abrogation of OUR RIGHTS THIS FACIST GOVERNMENT CAN GET AWAY WITH, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SECURITY OR TERRORISTS, IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE SOCIALIST TAKEOVER OF AMERICA BY THE SICK,DISGUSTING,FRINGE LUNATICS WHO NOW CONTROL OUR AMERICA, AND HALF OF THE COUNTRY IS LETTING, EVEN HELPING THEM DO IT, NOT KNOWING THAT THEY WILL BE INCLUDED WHEN IT COMES TO THE CRACK DOWN ON ALL AMERICANS, HOW STUPID CAN THEY BE, UNBELIEVABLY,INCREDIBLY,NAIVE FOOLS,JUST PLAIN IDIOTS AND MORONS BUT THE OTHER HALF OF AMERICA ALREADY KNOWS THAT, THAT’S WHY WE ARE SO AFRAID OF THIS GOVERNMENT,AND WE ARE ONE MILLION PERCENT JUSTIFIED!!!
Golly Charles don’t hold back it’s bad for your mental balance.LOL Naw, I hear you on that one.
Slowly but ever so slowly the cat approaches it’s prey using the environment to conceal it progress till it pounces and you are devoured and that is how it works.
Actually Barry,that technique works better for a small,armed patriot unit,against a larger force!!! JUST SAYING!
Just more of are rights being taken away.
I haven’t noticed the loss of any of my freedoms,since I disregard everything the federal government try’s to do!!! I guess that makes me an OUTLAW,then so be it!!!!
What we have well used to fight the enemy in Iraq and Afganistan; are NOW being used by this administration on the American people…
as though WE are the ENEMY.
I am not the enemy…this administration IS.
To THEM we are the ENEMY,THEY even call us DOMESTIC TERRORISTS because we disagree with comrade ovomit.So don’t worry about what they have to use against us.Travel lite,kill,and take what equipment your enemy has!!! JUST SAYING!!!
I thought the Texas was the state that detested overly strong handed government tactics? This seems to be a disincentive to move there in regards to escaping an over reaching Federal government.
Well, I live in TX. It is being overrun by drug lords, especially near the southern border. I am not happy about the drone stuff, but I am more troubled by the invasion from the south of drugs and weapons. The DPS had a search warrant. this was not a home invasion,
As retired law enforcement, I recall the same concerns when helicopters were introduced to the arsenal. A drone can’t see any more than a copter…it’s just quieter and smaller. If you’re doing something that’s against the law, then you should worry. If not, be glad the cops are doing their jobs. You know…the jobs people accuse them of not doing whenever they get a speeding ticket. “Don’t you have any rapists or robbery suspects to go after?”
Only as long as their on the side of the PATRIOTS when the time comes.I know a few who already are on our side,and don’t forget that a lot of the military are with us!!!
I got your back……
I agree 100%
Sight your rifles and claim you thought it was a bird?
Can I buy a Drone? Seems if they can I should be able to get one. That is fair, right? Next we will here they have been out droned by the bad guys. Who approves these budgets and expenditures?
That would be the SHADOW PEOPLE that we never see or hear about,but are the ones really running the show!!!
You want your own Drone Spy Ship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG8G2AiMweE
We have seen the enemy and it is the government. It’s an un-natural disaster.
Any body want to buy a sam?
As in,SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE SAM????
I agree with A.B. Law enforcement needs all the help it can get,here and in Afghanistan. Drugs are a weapon aginst us, not drones.
Hey Guys, lighten up. This isn’t the US govt doing this. This is the TX govt trying to stop the Mexican drug lords. Remember we have been begging for more help along the border? Well, sounds like we may have gotten a little, anyway. Of course, if it were anywhere but TX or AZ. I would be scared.
We’re just being watchful,JUST IN CASE!!!
they should use those drones to hunt down illegalls.
THEY should ARM those drones and hunt illegals!!!!
This brought to you by the same ppl that shot a 9 yr old kid in the back on Ruby Ridge in 1993.
Pissed off patriot,
Sorry, you’re off base on that one, that was the feds, NOT the Texas DPS, and yes, I am also a Patriot, but one of the truth, not misguided statements. Also a Seabee combat veteran.
Construimus-Batuimus, we build- we fight!!
This is a Tool that needs rules of use as
we all know,can be valuable if not abused!
And who pays for the use of all this high tech gadgetry…..Naturally the US taxpayer……We are paying those at all levels of law enforcement who are hell bent on destroying our freedoms…..They used US Army Tanks at Waco too didn’t they……Home made Bunkers holding women and children were fire bombed and destroyed with no thought who might be contained in them…..End result all died…..With a large number of those in hiding being children…..We seen the videos…..No 50 caliber machine guns or illegal weapons were found…..This was the excuse given by the BTAF to raid the compound…….More Government lies condoned by Janet Reno and the BTAF…..It was Government sanctioned Murder of US citizens along with their children carried out by an over zealous BTAF Division of our Government…… Naw the killing of innocent civilians, men, women and children could not be condoned ever again by our govenment…..
Could it? Mark my word, be prepared, it will happen again!
I believe the use of the drones in America against American citizens is a complete invasion of privacy, as well as the abrogation of several of our rights. If this is allowed to continue unrestrained, there will be major abuses of the technology, there always are. I believe that it will eventually be used to slaughter our own people, the only question that remains is what criteria will be used to justify the murder of American citizens? Will it be along religious, political or racial lines?
Mindy,
That IS your belief, but it is NOT against the law. Just look around you in one single day and see how many video scans you come in contact with, be it from privately owned business’ to traffic control/speed cameras. This is the 21st century and it is here under the quise of keeping us safe from the terrorists, drug lords etc, but NOT ILLEGAL.
I don’t necessarily like it, but I can’t avoid it.
The militarization of our law enforcement and the repeated abridgements of personal privacy in the “War on Drugs” is horrible! Prohibition and attempts to legislate morality have repeated failed throughout history. Let’s declare “peace with honor”, legalize and tax most of them, put the gangs and violent drug lords out of business and stop the law enforcement war against our own citizens.
You can already legally purchase “drones” at your Hobby shop. They are battery powered model aircraft. They will carry a wireless tv camera and you can watch it on the matching monitor. Checkout your local RC club.
I saw a video about these drones. They looked almost like the Stelth but not quite. But what was bad was that they could zero in on anything and even destroy it. At least I believe it’s the same plane. It’s not manned and controlled by people in a room elsewhere. At that rate they could locate any of us, spy on us and then destroy us. Amazing to think out own government would want to do that. Time for a big change all right.
Give me a break you Bozos. Here your whining about government takeover, Socialist take over, loss of privacy from “Big Brother”, The militarization of our law enforcement and the repeated abridgements of personal privacy in the “War on Drugs” is horrible, and my personal favorite: If this is allowed to continue unrestrained, there will be major abuses of the technology, there always are. I believe that it will eventually be used to slaughter our own people. Now, read an article about some rancher being slaughtered by some low life drug runners and the comments read just the opposite. When is the government going to do something about this? Why doesn’t the government put up cameras? And I have even read people wondering why we don’t use drones to catch these guys? Make up your damned minds will ya? We need to use every resource we have to secure the borders and catch the bad guys. If you’re not doing anything wrong, what the hell are you worried about? I say use everything in our arsenal to find these bottom feeders and when they are caught red handed, put a bullet in their heads. I’ll pay for the damned bullet. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper than giving them three squares and a cot, free medical, and free everything else on our dime. Stop this BS about Oh, Oh, they’re spying on me. Whatever shall I do? Like I said, give it a break and let law enforcement do their job.
I’ve read here that the Fed’s did it, that Texas police did it. Ever hear of the Texas Rangers? That is the common name given to the law enforcement arm of The Texas Department Of Safety. I say if they are using wasps, More Power To ThEm.
“No Powder” is absolutely right! For Pete’s sake, didn’t you people whining about your ‘privacy’ read what this creep had in his house? Would you want him next door to you and your family??