“”The drones belong to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which operates eight Predators on the country’s northern and southwestern borders to search for illegal immigrants and smugglers.””
Homeland Security is domestic law enforcement. There are some smaller UAV’s that are now being marketed to local law enforcement for aerial surveillance.
Mark
This is just bad news. PDs are just amp’ing up weaponry without oversight or justification other than the war on drugs. I don’t care how bad these bad guys were. We’re continuing fast down the police state highway.
“The drones belong to U.S. Customs and Border Protection,...”
Only applies to military forces, not pseudo military forces run by the legislative branch of government.
Clearly the Sheriff needed he'p finding the cows.
There is no surveillance technology yet invented, in any country, that has not used against its citizens (including the USA) - and you can be sure that any future surveillance technology invented, will also be used against citizens of the USA by the US Government.
The best we can hope for is that the citizens do not become so sheep-like that we at least demand clear limits on use of any surveillance technology, and punishment for those Gov’t officials who mis-use it.
If they don’t have them already, there are new drones designed for “hover and stare” surveillance that work like miniature helicopters that are cheap enough even mid-sized police departments will be able to afford them.
The article said the drones belong to Customs and Border Protection, not the military so that would not apply. Many claim since the laws passed after 9/11 and formation of Homeland Security Agency that P/C in reality doesn’t exist anymore.
Do you think the government believes in posse comitatus?
That applies only to standing armies, e.g. the military.
The fact that you cannot discern the difference between the military and your local police department is part of an ongoing transformation.
Welcome to the Police state...
So be conscientious when you hear: Get Down! Get down! On your face! Now! Now! Now! Taser! Taser! Taser!
Report: Died of natural causes.
Get it? Go to sleep now.
I know this is from Wiki but it is worth the posting for the clarification:
Posse Comitatus Act is the United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385) that was passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent (in concert with the Insurrection Act of 1807) was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of the land. Contrary to popular belief, the Act does not prohibit members of the Army from exercising state law enforcement, police, or peace officer powers that maintain "law and order"; it simply requires that any orders to do so must originate with the United States Constitution or Act of Congress.
The statute only addresses the US Army and the US Air Force. It does not refer to, and thus does not implicitly apply to nor restrict units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States. The Navy and Marine Corps are prohibited by a Department of Defense directive, (self-regulation,) not by the Act itself.[1][2] Although it is a military force,[3] the U.S. Coast Guard, which now operates under the Department of Homeland Security, is also not covered by the Posse Comitatus Act.
As of December 3, 2011, the Posse Comitatus Act is under threat of repeal from the National Defense Authorization Act.[4]
Posse deals with personnel, not technology. So if the law enforcement can aquire Predator drones and use them there is little that can be done about. We have thousands of pieces of technology that has made its way into the mainstream that is used every day. We think little to nothing of it. In this case the officer had a warrant and while it is disturbing that it was executed from two miles overhead, it will likely stand up in court. Not much different that them pinging you with radar in your car.
In this case it was private property and the office had the required paperwork. Hard to argue that he could not use all the technology he had available to him.
>>posse comitatus<<
Nope, the patriot act pretty much negated it.
There's also a law called Sarbanes-Oxley that says you can't misplace $1.2 billion of your client's money.
Nobody pays attention to that one either.