Orlando Florida Patrolled By Surveillance Drones As Early As This Summer

TBI ^ | 1-13-2013 | Robert Johnson

[blam]

Orlando Florida Patrolled By Surveillance Drones As Early As This Summer

Robert Johnson
Jan. 13, 2013, 8:18 AM

Octatron shows the camera aboard the SkySeer drone used for surveillance and reconnaissance for law enforcement

When Congress passed a bill last February allowing unmanned drones to fly American skies it became only a matter of time before UAVs patrolled U.S. cities for local law enforcement.

While most drones in the U.S. are flown along the Mexican border, the Orange County Sheriff's Office wants to put them over metro Orlando within the next few months. The Greater Orlando metropolitan area is home to more than 2 million residents and is Florida's third largest city.

Dan Tracy at the Orlando Sentinel reports the local sheriff wants a pair of unarmed UAVs able to record the activities of everyday citizens and criminals alike.

From the Sentinel:

Sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson ... would not say exactly how the drones would be used, he wrote in an email that they might be deployed when looking for explosives, barricaded suspects and to inspect "hostile/inaccessible terrain" or at train accidents.

As for civil-rights concerns, Williamson wrote, "The OCSO has the privacy of its citizenry as a foremost concern. The device will only be put into operations on the command of the high risk incident commander."

Thermal drone image of a house showing rafters in the roof and the heat lamps in the bathroom

The sheriff still needs the County Commission to sign off on the request before it goes to the FAA for approval. The federal agency should have no problem accommodating as it was ordered by Congress to get as many drones as possible into the air by November, and be able to handle 30,000 UAVs by 2020.

(snip)

[blam]

I wonder what those Floridians are hiding, eh?

[freedumb2003]

>>The device will only be put into operations on the command of the high risk incident commander<<

So, we take our liberty out of the hands of the Constitution and put it into the hands of some dude with a fancy title — and that is OK with people?

[blam]

Stealth Wear: New Counter-Surveillance Clothing Makes You Invisible to Drones

"In early 2012 the U.S. Congress authorized the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. Within this bill is a provision calling for the deployment of some 30,000 robotic drones over the skies of America by 2015, arguably the boldest overt domestic surveillance initiative to have ever been introduced in the land of the free. With an average of some 600 drones allocated per state, this future network of highly advanced surveillance systems promises to give law enforcement, military and intelligence assets unprecedented video and audio access into the lives of every single American."

[Doogle]

".....now it's up to some Florida FReeps to get creative with some sand script to pass along to Odungo....*smile*...just saying"

[struggle]

Does this break the 4th amendment? Also does a GPS jammer with a directional antenna work?

[FoxInSocks]

ordered by Congress to get as many drones as possible into the air by November, and be able to handle 30,000 UAVs by 2020.

That's comforting. Yeah, I know, it's for our safety.

[elkfersupper]

So, I guess they’ll never put Hellfire missiles on those things to blow up people drinking, smoking, consuming transfats, hoarding incandescent light bulbs, refusing to recycle, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

[suijuris]

So now we know why the FedGov gps'd everyones residence during the last census.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

I wonder how long it will take for one of these drones to crash into a general aviation aircraft near Orlando and kill a number of innocent people?

[blam]

Innocent...you say?

[liberalh8ter]

As for civil-rights concerns, Williamson wrote, "The OCSO has the privacy of its citizenry as a foremost concern. The device will only be put into operations on the command of the high risk incident commander."

And we should trust you implicitly that civil rights will not be violated, huh? Sorry Mr. Williamson, you don't have the right to determine whether your suspicions justify you violating my rights.

[grobdriver]

I wonder how long it will take for one of these drones to crash into a general aviation aircraft

Good question.
They can't TFR the whole damn city on a permanent basis like Washing, DC.
My be that the things are so small (looked that way in the pic) that they will not be a GA altitudes.

I've seen some of these drones that are not much more than radio controlled model aircraft.

[Proud2BeRight]

Conversation in control roo:
“Stop!”
“Zoom in on that guy on the bench.”
“Is that a 16 oz drink?”
“Shall I call out the SWAT team or arm the drone’s weapons?

[blam]

America Is Being Systematically Transformed Into A Totalitarian Society

If you still believe that America is “free”, just consider some of the things that are illegal in America today…

* -Starting on January 1st, it is now illegal to make or import 75 watt incandescent light bulbs anywhere in the United States.

* -In Oregon, it is illegal to collect rainwater that falls on your own property.

* -In New Jersey, it is illegal to have an “unrestrained” cat or dog in your vehicle while you are driving.

* -If you milk your cow and sell some of the milk to your neighbor, you could end up having your home raided by federal agents.

* -In Miami Beach, Florida you must recycle your trash properly or face huge fines.

* -All over the United States, cops are shutting down lemonade stands run by children because they don’t have the proper “permits”.

* -Down in Tulsa, Oklahoma one unemployed woman had her survival garden brutally ripped out and carted away by government thugs because it did not conform to regulations.

* -Over in Massachusetts, all children in daycare centers are mandated by state law to brush their teeth after lunch. In fact, the state even provides the fluoride toothpaste for the children.

* -At one public school down in Texas, a 12-year-old girl named Sarah Bustamantes was arrested for spraying herself with perfume.

* -A 13-year-old student at a school in Albuquerque, New Mexico was arrested by police for burping in class.

* -All over the United States cities have passed laws that actually make it illegal to feed the homeless.

With each passing year, the number of decisions that we are allowed to make for ourselves gets smaller and smaller.

[Paladin2]

“Where de hot wymyms be?”

[USNBandit]

The thermal image shown in the article would violate the 4th amendment unless the police already had a warrant for the search. There is a really fine line between being able to use IR or thermal on a residence and getting a full search warrant, so it is rarely done.

GPS jamming will probably bring some legal consequences since it can interfere with the safe navigation of real aircraft. Most jammer available on the market seem to have a very finite range and are most effective against having a tracker placed on your car.

[moovova]

Couldn’t tell exactly, but in the first picture...was that a star on the underside of the drone...or a target?

[FreedomPoster]

Hmmm. Looking at those IR shots, I wonder how well having radiant barrier in the attic blocks that imagery. I’m thinking it would fairly well.

[Girlene]

....and WHY do we need 30,000 drones in the air by 2020?

[Veggie Todd]

Couldn’t tell exactly, but in the first picture...was that a star on the underside of the drone...or a target?

Tomayto, tomahto.