Flying the illegal alien trails

12 June 2003 | JacelopeBreeder/Luis Martinez

[WRhine]

Most of you are already aware of the UAV developed by American Border Patrol here in Cochise County, Arizona. Border Hawk went from hazy concept to successful flight test to feeding live video to MSNBC in just three months. The Department of Homeland Security was somewhat chagrined and started making “serious” noises about using UAVs, though one of their spokespersons admitted publicly a couple of days ago that they still haven’t done squat about the idea.

I suspected HLS was putting on a dog and pony show for the masses when they said that they were going to put modified UAVs in service in the border areas. Didn't make sense to me. We already know that HLS is under orders to do as little as possible in apprehending illegals.

Glenn Spencer is a highly resourceful man a mission. At a minimum, he is going to embarrass the Feds and expose their complicity in the illegal immigration crisis.

[JackelopeBreeder]

It's a mite more sophisticated than that. Some of the programming logic is still proprietary so I'm not really free to discuss it.

[American in Israel]

Yes, but I am not talking about putting this in the hands of the army but the hands of the people under attack. The army does not let its hi tech stuff get in the hands of the man in the street.

It also has political winds that sometimes shift to where they might want to ignore crossings in some areas. The army guys in the field are trying to do a good job, but the ones above often do not supply what is needed to accomplish that.

If a homeowner with an exposed backyard could be warned when someone was crossing no-mans land toward his house 100 yards away and just turned on the lights out back, that in most cases would stop an attack dead in its tracks.

Exciting stuff.

[JackelopeBreeder]

Sounds like here.

The average house near the border is surrounded by 8-foot chainlink fence topped with barbed wire or concertina. Entire yard covered by floodlights and a pack of large dogs.

Even the kids carry guns.

[c-b 1]

I have a question. If the UAV is circling 200 feet above the ground observing a mule train, wouldn't it be possible for the flank guards to shoot it down with their rifles?
It might be a lucky shot, but I would think for the safety of the UAV a higher altitude would be better.

[DeepDish]

One thing I really like about your system is that there
is no contact with the illegal aliens. This not only helps
slow down the flood but chops off false charges of
brutality and harassment by people who are not "law en-
forcement proffessionals". Not to mention the risk of
stumbling across well armed drug smugglers.

[DeepDish]

Hey, when you decide to upgrade your uav, why not
consider mounting small lights on the bottom side of the
aircraft. Slave these lights to a photo sensor on the top
of the aircraft. Aircraft are easy to see because they are
much darker than the sky. Photo sensor can be programmed
for bright sun to cloudy skies.

[JackelopeBreeder]

The smugglers generally use snub versions of the AKs or MP-5s or similar. Full size rifles are a rarity.

The video is of high enough quality at the control station to spot these and get out of range quickly. The streaming video and still captures on the web site have been degraded by compression. The real stuff is almost broadcast quality.

FAA regs also limit our birds to flying under 500 feet and not exceeding certain size, weight, and performance parameters. If we bust those we'd have all sorts of bureaucrats climbing into our jockey shorts.

[oceanperch]

I want to get pinged to these type of threads but I get so frustrated when I do check them out.

What frustrates me is it seems with all the hard work US citizens are doing to protect their homes along these border crossing it just keeps coming.

I wish everyone the best and hope someday there will be a solution.

Do you think it will ever get as bad as S.Africa?

[Carry_Okie]

Nothing quite like incremental development.

You guys done great!

[Pro-Bush]

Thanks for the update!

[oceanperch]

OK now that I read the article.
This sounds like a great tool.
Hopefully the Govt. won't see fit to cut the budget back so bad for ABP that they fiscally cannot continue.

Good Luck and keep up the fight.

[JackelopeBreeder]

The goverbment doesn't give us a cent. We're a private non-profit organization.

[wjcsux]

Good job and thanks for the update.

[hedgetrimmer]

If you live in Arizona you have other problems to take care of right away!

URGENT ACTION SOUGHT FROM CITIZENS OF ARIZONA
DATE: 8:30 p.m. TUE 10jun03

---

Three of Arizona's Members of Congress are set to introduce the most radical immigration bill ever seen in U.S. history.

Sen. McCain, Rep. Flake and Rep. Kolbe have created a bill -- expected to be introduced any day -- that would come closer to eliminating our U.S. borders than anything ever introduced while setting up a two or three-step process to give an amnesty to almost all 10 million or so illegal aliens now in the country.

http://www.americanpatrol.com/ARIZONA/OpenBdrActionAlert030611.html

[junta]

I think B&C would have a problem with sensors never mind P&Y, but leave it to the "hunting industry" they will no doubt be for sale in Cabelas given enough time.

[junta]

And you would have to kill me if you did I suppose?

[Ten Megaton Solution]

I see...

...legislation coming to limit the installation of ground detectors. I see the whackos demanding an Environmental Impact Statement for the installation of sensors on all national lands.

Certainly permission will not be granted to monitory national parks...so the invaders will concentrate their crossing even more heavily on these regions.

The Mexican government might shoot down UAV's near the border, and claim they were violating their "airspace".

How are the UAV's insured? A private organisation certainly doesn't have the funds to loft replacements indefinitely.

Good job showing up the feds for the incompetent boobs they are. Don't expect them to appreciate your efforts. Good luck.

Oh, one last thing. The first UAV that is shot down that manages to start a brush fire will signal the death of the civiallian UAV fleet.

[oceanperch]

I apoligize. My lack of keeping up with the threads. I was thinking about the border patrol that is employed by Uncle Sam.

Again Sorry I do not know what I am talking about.