Replies

Dorner was tracked by a drone—that has been reported by various SoCal media outlets. So, whose drone was it? I’m not an expert on the LAPD, but I haven’t heard of any drone program associated with that department; if anything’s going on, it’s probably experimental.

Meanwhile, one of the major DCGS hubs for the Air Force is located at March ARB, north of LA. As a ground station for drone ops, the base has the intelligence assets to receive and report on what the drones are monitoring. There is an even larger DCGS operation at Beale, well north of LA. Of course, location is largely irrelevant, since the intel teams can monitor product from drone ops around the world. And, the primary base for drone flight ops is at Creech AFB, NV, roughly 300 miles from Big Bear. Drones fly out of that location all the time on training missions, and the crews also handle flight/sensor control for drone missions around the world.

Lastly, the Obama Justice Department claims the president has the authority to use drones against American citizens who pose an imminent threat to national security. Dorner may not die from a Hellfire, but it’s just a matter of time before someone uses a federal drone to take out a bad guy. Personally, I don’t have a problem with Dorner meeting a grisly end, but the constitutional implications of domestic drone employment are pretty frightening.