Posted on 03/09/2011 4:19:37 PM PST by bimboeruption
MIAMI (CBS4) – Miami-Dade’s newest crime fighting tool is a literal ‘eye in the sky’.
The Micro Air Vehicle, or MAV for short, is a small radio controlled drone aircraft equipped with a portable camera system. Miami-Dade Sgt. Andrew Cohen said drone will be used to gather real time information in situations which may be too dangerous for officers.
“If an SRT (Special Response Team) has to go into an area they don’t know what’s there, we don’t know what is in the backyard,” said Cohen, “They want to know if there are dogs in the backyard, if there is a shed, things that could be a threat to us.”
The MAV is used by the military to scan dangerous areas before troops are sent in. Miami-Dade police used a $50,000 grant to buy one, but not everyone is happy with the purchase.
“What happens when they fly over backyards and they see something without a warrant that they want to take against,” said ACLU Executive Director Howard Simon.
Police admit the MAV, if flown low enough, has the ability to look into people’s home, but that is not its intended purpose.
“If this thing is deployed, it’s only going to be used in situations where we already have an ongoing police scene,” said Cohen. “They are going to know we are there because we will have tactical teams, SRT teams, we’re going to have a perimeter, it’s going to be secure.”
Meanwhile the police department is awaiting approval from the FAA before they can use the MAV. They have submitted the application, but the approval process can take up to six months.
You can be certain this spy-drone will be used against anyone the government deems to be a "criminal."
In short order that will know of every house in the county where the females sunbath nude. Well since it is cops some of them will know where the homo’s do it.
It’s for your safety B.S. line... It’s a complete invasion and violation of our constitutional rights.
Been calling Florida a police state for 25 years.
You’re right—it’s BS!
LOL you know this thing will get shot out of the sky in the first week or so.
Miami has been different. The cops there are corrupt, but don't hassle people much. I lived there '98-'01 and I don't think I ever saw a speed trap. REASON mag listed it as the second most free city in the USA, after Vegas.
I guess that's ancient history, now.
PULL!
The dog liscense database should give them a clue, along with listening for the growling.
It's time to order up some cammo nets for the back yard and a bunch of self targeting lasers.
There’s something that everyone seems to forget. We surround them!
Obama wants to watch you having sex.
The details vary from state to state, but you're generally correct. If you have your bay window facing the street wide open, you have no expectation of privacy from people at the bus stop in front of your house.
Where it gets a little dicey is when you start using deliberate enhancement such as zoom lenses, thermal imagery etc. that can view things the unaided eye can't. I'm guessing that as long as this thing sees what a normal police helicopter can see the courts are going to be ok with it. Where they'll run into arguments is when they start hovering right outside somebody's 20th floor apartment balcony without a warrant.
Remember waaaaay back in the old days, when the cop on the beat was your friend....
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