EXACTAMUNDO !!!!
Posted on 11/26/2007 8:45:07 PM PST by Tlaloc
By June 2008, the city of Houston will use the same military drone aircraft currently used to hunt down terrorists overseas to write speeding citations on Texas freeways. Local television station KPRC exposed the Houston Police Department's plan by using the station's news helicopter to spy on what was supposed to be a confidential gathering of area law enforcement personnel where the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities were demonstrated. The test took place seventy miles northwest of Houston in Waller County.
While police have used aircraft to issue speeding tickets for years, the practice can be quite expensive. The cost to operate an aircraft such as a Cessna 182 can run beyond $200 an hour, which cuts into ticketing revenue. The UAV manufactured by Insitu, however, can stay aloft for up to twenty hours using just over a gallon of gasoline. While it only cruises at 55 MPH with a top speed of 86 MPH, its powerful onboard camera can zoom in on a vehicle from a distance of 60 miles with full night-vision capabilities.
Although Houston Police Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo told reporters that the main mission of the device would be homeland security, KPRC confirmed that the department's traffic unit played the lead role in the demonstration.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has opposed unrestricted police use of UAVs in navigable airspace at altitudes including the 1500 feet level used in the Houston test.
"The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening," AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs Melissa Rudinger said in a statement last year. "What do you think your chances are of seeing this thing before you hit it? And it can't sense you or get out of the way."
Depending on options, each UAV can cost up to $1 million.
WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.
Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.
Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.
Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.
News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.
"I wasn't ready to publicize this," Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said. She and other department leaders hastily organized a news conference when they realized Local 2 Investigates had captured the entire event on camera.
"We still haven't even decided how we were going to go forward on this task, so it seemed premature to me to announce this to the media," Montalvo said. "But since, obviously, the media found out about it, then I don't see any reason why just not go forward with what we have so far."
Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.
A large number of the officers at the test site were assigned to the department's ticket-writing Radar Task Force. Capt. Tom Runyan insisted they were only there to provide "site security," even though KPRC cameras spotted those officers heavily participating in the test flight.
Houston police contacted KPRC from the test site, claiming the entire airspace was restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Police even threatened action from the FAA if the Local 2 helicopter remained in the area. However, KPRC reported it had already checked with the FAA on numerous occasions and found no flight restrictions around the site, a point conceded by Montalvo.
HPD leaders said they would address privacy and unlawful search questions later.
South Texas College of Law professor Rocky Rhodes, who teaches the constitution and privacy issues, said, "One issue is going to be law enforcement using this and when, by using these drones, are they conducting a search in which they'd need probable cause or a warrant. If the drones are being used to get into private spaces and be able to view where the government cannot otherwise go, and to collect information that would not otherwise be able to collect, that's concerning to me."
HPD Assistant Chief Vickie King said of the unmanned aircraft, "It's interesting that privacy doesn't occur or searches aren't an issue when you have a helicopter pilot over you and it would not be used in airspace other than what our helicopters are used in already."
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.
HPD stressed it is working with the FAA on reviewing the technical specifications, the airworthiness and hazards of flying unmanned aircraft in an urban setting. Future test flights are planned.
The price tag for an unmanned aircraft ranges from $30,000 to $1 million each and HPD is hoping to begin law enforcement from the air by June of 2008 with these new aircraft.
Big Brother declares war on speeders. Speeding enforcement as revenue tool.
“PULL!”
Really big ball bearing bottle rockets
When one crashes, (every aircraft model crashes sometime) PR will be horrendous.
Do what they do in Florida. Use a tall building. Cheap and works well... and never crashes.
Another varient has in flight refueling configured to refill thermoses with coffee as they fly formation on the police cruiser.
Who's the a$$hole politician who approved this budget item? I bet the taxpayers are thrilled with this use of public $. How many speeding tickets will it take to pay for it?
Police Testing Unmanned Drone - Police in the Houston and Miami-Dade departments have been chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration to test the use of unmanned aircraft in urban environments, authorities said. The two police forces will help the FAA set flight guidelines and training needs during the testing period, which is expected to end in June.
just what we need, robots enforcing laws. what do they call them; cylons?
Everyone who gets a ticket from one of these should plead not guilty and go to trial. Force every cop involved from the one running the remote control to the one operating the camera and the one who finally pulls you over to take the morning off to testify.
If everyone who got a ticket saw it as their duty to force a trial the rolling road tax would lose its profit motive.
If they would only go after illegal aliens with such gusto.
***holes!
Hows about using them to patrol the border instead of patrolling citizens!
Unless everyone involved, including the officer who operates the drone/spots the car, and the officer who actually issues the citation shows up and testifies, I don’t think any of these types of tickets will hold up to a trial...
meanwhile, down the corridor, Bruce searches frantically for the Hellfire-equipped model he was fixing for the ANG base, co-located with the police section of the airport.
and start drilling and refining so we don’t have to pay so much for gas. Instead they target us for increased enforcement.
what happened to government of by and for THE PEOPLE.
we seem to be seeing more of government of by and for the government.
Wow, another bold step for tyranny...
And in Texas to boot?
One day, the picture taker, will be armed, and people caught smoking cigarettes will be shot up. And some will say that is a good thing...
One day, the Cylons decide, that all humans are immoral law breakers. Instead of just writing tickets, they beleive that they are sent to earth, by God, to kill of the evil humans. Yes, you pretty much nailed it...
LOL
EXACTAMUNDO !!!!
I wonder what the penalty is for shooting a robot out ofthe sky?
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