LA's spy-in-the-sky drone sparks privacy concer, Libs will hate this? LOL
RONCLA...@aol.com
By John Hiscock Los Angeles
Published: 20 June 2006
The future of law enforcement was launched into the smoggy Los Angeles
skies at the weekend in the form of a drone aircraft intended to bring
spy-in-the-sky technology to urban policing.
The unmanned aerial vehicle, called the SkySeer, looks like a
remote-controlled toy and fits into a shoulder bag. In the air, the
craft is guided by global positioning system coordinates, and a camera
fixed to the underside sends video to a laptop command station.
A prototype is being tested by the LA county sheriff's department,
which says the SkySeer will accomplish tasks too dangerous for
officers, and free helicopters for other missions. "This technology
could be used to find missing children, search for lost hikers or
survey a fire zone," said Commander Sid Heal, head of the sheriff's
department technology exploration project. "The plane is virtually
silent and invisible."
The SkySeer, which has low-light and infrared capabilities and can fly
at speeds of up to 30mph, would also be able to spot burglary suspects.
Commander Heal believes it will be the first of many unmanned
surveillance crafts which will be used in police work. "Who knew five
years ago we would be shooting photos and videos with our phones?" he
said. "I can see this drone technology replacing some conventional
aircraft in 10 years."
The LA sheriff's department operates 18 helicopters costing £2m to
£3m each. The SkySeer costs £15,000 to £23,000.
Although the SkySeer is not yet capable of spying into windows, some
critics are uneasy about eyes in the sky monitoring daily life.
"A helicopter can be seen and heard and one can make behaviour choices
based on that," said Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
"Do we really want to live in a society where our backyard barbecues
will be open to police scrutiny?"
Police say the concerns are unwarranted because everybody is already
under surveillance.
"You shouldn't be worried about being spied on by your government,"
said Commander Heal. "These days you can't go anywhere without a camera
watching you, whether you're in a grocery store or walking down the
street."
The future of law enforcement was launched into the smoggy Los Angeles
skies at the weekend in the form of a drone aircraft intended to bring
spy-in-the-sky technology to urban policing.
The unmanned aerial vehicle, called the SkySeer, looks like a
remote-controlled toy and fits into a shoulder bag. In the air, the
craft is guided by global positioning system coordinates, and a camera
fixed to the underside sends video to a laptop command station.
A prototype is being tested by the LA county sheriff's department,
which says the SkySeer will accomplish tasks too dangerous for
officers, and free helicopters for other missions. "This technology
could be used to find missing children, search for lost hikers or
survey a fire zone," said Commander Sid Heal, head of the sheriff's
department technology exploration project. "The plane is virtually
silent and invisible."
The SkySeer, which has low-light and infrared capabilities and can fly
at speeds of up to 30mph, would also be able to spot burglary suspects.
Commander Heal believes it will be the first of many unmanned
surveillance crafts which will be used in police work. "Who knew five
years ago we would be shooting photos and videos with our phones?" he
said. "I can see this drone technology replacing some conventional
aircraft in 10 years."
The LA sheriff's department operates 18 helicopters costing £2m to
£3m each. The SkySeer costs £15,000 to £23,000.
Although the SkySeer is not yet capable of spying into windows, some
critics are uneasy about eyes in the sky monitoring daily life.
"A helicopter can be seen and heard and one can make behaviour choices
based on that," said Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
"Do we really want to live in a society where our backyard barbecues
will be open to police scrutiny?"
Police say the concerns are unwarranted because everybody is already
under surveillance.
"You shouldn't be worried about being spied on by your government,"
said Commander Heal. "These days you can't go anywhere without a camera
watching you, whether you're in a grocery store or walking down the
street."
S. Olson
Shitskull thinks being spied on is okay.
S. Olson