Predator Drones in use over Houston

[Nebor]

http://www.click2houston.com/i...s/14659066/detail.html

This is ridiculous. Addressing privacy concerns by saying news helicopters have powerful cameras? News helicopters aren't government agents. Further and further into the police state.

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: Nebor
http://www.click2houston.com/i...s/14659066/detail.html

This is ridiculous. Addressing privacy concerns by saying news helicopters have powerful cameras? News helicopters aren't government agents. Further and further into the police state.

Police helicopters dont have high powered cameras, but they dont need it. They fly much lower to the ground that these drones do.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Grrrrrreatttttt . . . (in my best Dirty Harry voice)

... Hope they don't come with Hellfire as an option

 

[manowar821]

Finally, a use for my shoulder fired AA flak cannon.

 

[Jaskalas]

It is nearly impossible for individuals to impact the federal government. This is where your state government comes into play. Demand from them that this ends, you have a far greater chance of impacting them as opposed to moving an entire nation of 300 million.

When the feds don?t want to stop it, have your state enforce its god given right to secede from the union.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ? That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ? That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

 

[ElFenix]

She admitted that police helicopters are not equipped with cameras nearly as powerful as the unmanned aircraft, but she downplayed any privacy concerns, saying news helicopters have powerful cameras as well.

yay crappy 'reasonable expectation of privacy' test for whether a warrant is needed or not

 

[techs]

Wow. I guess the Feds are anticipating Rudy Guiliani being elected. Rudy believes individuals have NO right to privacy.

 

[LegendKiller]

This is what you get if you allow the government too much power. Power begets power, it's all of the same mentality. Thank the "Patriot Act" and the "Homeland Security Act" for this, as well as millions of frothing bed wetting whiny wimpy bitches.

 

[ayabe]

Wow that is complete and utter bullshit.

So cops can't get a decent pay raise but they want to pump millions into surveillance drones?

 

[MonkeyK]

Nice job Local2 News! One more secret tool that the terrorist now know about :roll:

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

She admitted that police helicopters are not equipped with cameras nearly as powerful as the unmanned aircraft, but she downplayed any privacy concerns, saying news helicopters have powerful cameras as well.

yay crappy 'reasonable expectation of privacy' test for whether a warrant is needed or not

so whats the difference? between a UAV and a helio? just the cameras? what if the heilo had just as powerful of cameras would you still aruge about search warrents and invasion of privacy?

i dont see what the the big deal is. the cops have had cameras in the air for decades.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: ayabe
Wow that is complete and utter bullshit.

So cops can't get a decent pay raise but they want to pump millions into surveillance drones?

On one of the LEO boards I frequent, there's an HPD officer throwing a fit because "They can buy a fucking UAV but I can't get a new pair of size 36 pants from the god damn equipment supply."

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

When 4 scumbags jacked my neighbor's property last month at 2 am I'd have been much happier having drones trying to track them at 1500' rather than having helicopters flying in low circular patterns over the neighborhood for almost 2 friggin hours.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: MonkeyK
Nice job Local2 News! One more secret tool that the terrorist now know about :roll:

God forbid our (somewhat) free press let's us know when our civil liberties are being infringed and we are edging closer and closer to a police state. I'm sorry, but a predator drone over Houston is not only an affront to our constitutional rights, but it's worthless. How is it going to stop terrorism? By videoing the mushroom cloud?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: MonkeyK
Nice job Local2 News! One more secret tool that the terrorist now know about :roll:

God forbid our (somewhat) free press let's us know when our civil liberties are being infringed and we are edging closer and closer to a police state. I'm sorry, but a predator drone over Houston is not only an affront to our constitutional rights, but it's worthless. How is it going to stop terrorism? By videoing the mushroom cloud?

again how is it different than a helio? i fail to see how this is a assault on our liberties and a police state.

 

[alchemize]

Depends if they are using it for warrantless surveillance or not...

 

[StageLeft]

This is not a predator drone and in any case you better be ready for the influx of UAVs. In fact, for about a thousand bucks or less you can make your own which can process waypoints with a GPS and fly around unmanned. Strap a $60 8 ounce camera on there and you have your own drone. The ones that enforcement are looking at are just upscale versions of the hobby ones (or maybe the hobby ones are downscale), but these will be increasingly used. For a tiny fraction of the costs of helicopters, cops can get cameras in the air. Smaller jurisdictions may end up with them or large ones with more eyes in the sky. I don't really see it as a bad thing since I have no expectation of privacy in public (as you shouldn't have, either). Now, until the costs are such that each person gets their own little UAV following them around, don't sweat it.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
When 4 scumbags jacked my neighbor's property last month at 2 am I'd have been much happier having drones trying to track them at 1500' rather than having helicopters flying in low circular patterns over the neighborhood for almost 2 friggin hours.

What a shock. You are willing to give up everyone's right to privacy so that you aren't annoyed by the sound of helicopters one freaking night of your life. :roll:

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
When 4 scumbags jacked my neighbor's property last month at 2 am I'd have been much happier having drones trying to track them at 1500' rather than having helicopters flying in low circular patterns over the neighborhood for almost 2 friggin hours.

What a shock. You are willing to give up everyone's right to privacy so that you aren't annoyed by the sound of helicopters one freaking night of your life. :roll:

and I ask again, what privacy is a drone violating compared to a heilo or a manned fixed wing aircraft working traffic?

how are the two different in that regard? why do you fear drones more than a heilo?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
When 4 scumbags jacked my neighbor's property last month at 2 am I'd have been much happier having drones trying to track them at 1500' rather than having helicopters flying in low circular patterns over the neighborhood for almost 2 friggin hours.

What a shock. You are willing to give up everyone's right to privacy so that you aren't annoyed by the sound of helicopters one freaking night of your life. :roll:

What is it about this place that attracts the paranoid delusional types?

Lemme guess. You prefer helicopters instead because it's easier for you to spot the black ones carrying the government jackboots ready to arrest and toss you into Gitmo if you spit on the sidewalk?

:roll:

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: ElFenix

She admitted that police helicopters are not equipped with cameras nearly as powerful as the unmanned aircraft, but she downplayed any privacy concerns, saying news helicopters have powerful cameras as well.

yay crappy 'reasonable expectation of privacy' test for whether a warrant is needed or not

so whats the difference? between a UAV and a helio? just the cameras? what if the heilo had just as powerful of cameras would you still aruge about search warrents and invasion of privacy?

i dont see what the the big deal is. the cops have had cameras in the air for decades.

huh? are you responding to my post?

to answer your question about UAV an helicopter, chances are the UAV is far more quiet than a helicopter, so you're at least more likely to know that the chopper is in the area.

and helicopters have had more powerful cameras for a while. that's the point of the tv chopper comment the police rep made. you don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy because the tv helicopters can already see anything you're doing in your backyard, and so the cops don't need a warrant (but see the fact that UAVs are far more quiet)

 

[Deleted member 4644]

I have a few comments. First, the cost is a significant issue. This means pay yet ANOTHER private contractor to fly these things. It means upkeep costs through the roof. It means less cops on the street, or lower wages for those who are.

Second, a UAV is unique because it is basically stealthy to the human ear/eye. That means they can fly this thing anywhere and you won't even know it.

Finally, it breeds distrust because it just feels like something that the Soviets would have liked to do.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
I have a few comments. First, the cost is a significant issue. This means pay yet ANOTHER private contractor to fly these things. It means upkeep costs through the roof. It means less cops on the street, or lower wages for those who are.

Second, a UAV is unique because it is basically stealthy to the human ear/eye. That means they can fly this thing anywhere and you won't even know it.

Finally, it breeds distrust because it just feels like something that the Soviets would have liked to do.

Compare the cost of a police helicopter to a UAV. Helicopter cost and maintenance costs a fortune. The cost of a copter pilot is far more expensive than a joystick jockey to fly a UAV as well.

Additionally, the police have better things to do than fly this thing around, following someone in hopes of catching them committing a crime. Where does the idea come from that surveillance on an individual wouldn't still require a warrant? And if they were monitoring buildings at night using IR (which most police helos already have anyway) and see someone breaking in how is that any different than seeing it from a helicopter or surveillance aircraft?

Last, what are some of you guys doing against the law that you're so worried about potential eavesdropping?

 

[K1052]

Good thing I picked up a gross of SA-7s during Black Friday.

 

[zinfamous]

awesome.

'bout time they did something about those Texans