Posted on 10/21/2012 9:06:19 PM PDT by WilliamIII
Drones aren't something most residents worry about on a day-to-day basis. But they may be flying over the skies of Alameda County soon if Sheriff Gregory Ahern gets his way. Ahern is looking at buying a surveillance drone, an unmanned aircraft system, for search and rescue missions, bomb threats, SWAT operations, marijuana grows, fires and natural disasters. But the proposal has already drummed up backlash from privacy advocates worried that drone technology is outpacing safeguards.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Soon we will all be Drones.
And we thought sheriffs would be on our side.
Maybe he doesn’t like going into Berkley and doesn’t feel safe in Oakland. I wouldn’t suggest either.
They are probably broke and have no money to spare for such foolishness, therefore, they will make the purchase...
search and rescue missions? where, in the Oakland Hills?
Skynet
I hate to drone on about this, but we have to STOP THE DRONES! It’s like we’re losing our will. Soon the drones in fact will be everywhere, buzzing around above. Stand up to this incursion. Keep our will, and keep these snooping eyes out of our backyards.
Other than being cheaper, How is a small drone any different in it’s privacy invasion than a helicopter or a light plane at high altitude or for that matter a satellite?
Two words: “Constant Presence”.
Money is like time in that an excess of either can get a person, organization, or nation in trouble. When police forces are limited by available finances, they tend to stick to what they are paid to do, rather than declare eveyone to be a threat to the state.
Then again maybe the Sheriff is trying to do his job with the money available. I don’t see much difference between a little plane and a bigger one when privacy is concerned. If I don’t want one I sure don’t want the other.
But this may have some real possibilities. An armed drone that could hover and had loud speakers, “Stop Citizen! Hold your papers up where the camera can see them!”, followed by a rounds of lead for noncompliance.
And all vehicles will have their tags painted on the roof.
Feeling a bit paranoid yet?
“Other than being cheaper, How is a small drone any different in it’s privacy invasion than a helicopter or a light plane at high altitude or for that matter a satellite?”
It’s not any different. The only difference is the amount of high-pitched whining from all the Chicken Littles out there who think the sky is falling. Every time someone mounts a video camera in a public place, the whining starts all over again. It almost seems like the ACLU has a full-time presence here.
And how do they think Google Earth works? Folks worry about the loss of privacy and yet reveal too much online. Gotta go, the black copters are here, wait! ha! just a spot on the glasses.
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