Seattle police drafting policy for using drones
SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Department is one of the first in the nation to receive permission from the federal government to start using drones.
The department is drafting a policy on how it will use the remote control aerial vehicles.
A Thursday evening question-and-answer session about the drones became heated when members of the public spoke out against the technology.
"I'm not really surprised that people are upset. It's a frightening thing to think that there's government surveillance cameras overhead," said Jennifer Shaw of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Police have said they expect to use drones in search and rescue, accidents and natural disasters, and unusual crime scenes.
Aerial drones can be as small as a hummingbird or as large as the lethal Predators and Reapers used by the military in the Middle East and Asia.
Seattle police plan to use the mini-helicopter Draganflyer XG made by the Draganfly Innovations company of Saskatoon, Canada,
It is operated with a hand-held controller and joysticks. It carries cameras that can take still pictures, videos and infrared shots. It is limited by a battery life of less than 10 minutes and an inability to carry more than 35 ounces - a little more than 2 pounds, police said.
The FAA has guidelines on how and when law-enforcement agencies can use drones. They cannot be flown at night or over crowds. The drones must be flown below 400 feet and must remain within eyesight of an operator as well as an observer at all times, according to the FAA.
Despite those guidelines, many at Thursday's public event suggested the police department would abuse its power.
"We all know this will be used for political suppression," one person said.
The law enforcement use of drones prompted an ACLU review that found existing laws and policies are inadequate to safeguard citizen privacy.
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View the proposed operations manual here »
The department is drafting a policy on how it will use the remote control aerial vehicles.
A Thursday evening question-and-answer session about the drones became heated when members of the public spoke out against the technology.
"I'm not really surprised that people are upset. It's a frightening thing to think that there's government surveillance cameras overhead," said Jennifer Shaw of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Police have said they expect to use drones in search and rescue, accidents and natural disasters, and unusual crime scenes.
Aerial drones can be as small as a hummingbird or as large as the lethal Predators and Reapers used by the military in the Middle East and Asia.
Seattle police plan to use the mini-helicopter Draganflyer XG made by the Draganfly Innovations company of Saskatoon, Canada,
It is operated with a hand-held controller and joysticks. It carries cameras that can take still pictures, videos and infrared shots. It is limited by a battery life of less than 10 minutes and an inability to carry more than 35 ounces - a little more than 2 pounds, police said.
The FAA has guidelines on how and when law-enforcement agencies can use drones. They cannot be flown at night or over crowds. The drones must be flown below 400 feet and must remain within eyesight of an operator as well as an observer at all times, according to the FAA.
Despite those guidelines, many at Thursday's public event suggested the police department would abuse its power.
"We all know this will be used for political suppression," one person said.
The law enforcement use of drones prompted an ACLU review that found existing laws and policies are inadequate to safeguard citizen privacy.
----
View the proposed operations manual here »
get your pellet guns and shoot them down they are a clear violation of your privacy and one step closer to a surveillance police state... don't let them fool you with all the B.S. reasons they need drones.. were being stripped of our constitutional rights almost daily, at what point do we say enough get our of our lives..
Fist make drones the norm, then go for the OK to arm them too!
The thing I don't get about this whole thing is, when they catch criminals they don't do anything to them, anyway. So why try to catch more of them?
Interesting that there's a shortage of officers, yet there are Federal funds for toys to invade others privacy. Must be nice to get that free Federal money to maintain ODOT, Drones and other various roads to nowhere projects.
The FAA requires 2 trained pilots for each drone. One for flying and one for observing. Then if it has a movable camera one is required for that too. A lot of money. If they just use them for really serious cases like hostage situations it would be fine I think. @Funky-Munky
 @Blindman The Seattle police and many other agencies have fully proven they cannot be trusted. sad. :( In addition many here in the U.S. wish us to have a Middle East atmosphere. What's next check points at the borders of each state? I hate security, invasion of privacy and shredders of the Constitution. Supreme Court 100% sold Americans out pertaining to digital information. Americans now have to endure an intrusive government sifting through emails, cellphones and other electronic communications without officials obtaining a warrant first. BS! Where does it end?
I thought the Seattle Police Department was full of drones?
 @DDG and steroid users too.
Well looks like it's time to invest in a spectrum analyzer and wide range transceiver...
Pull............
 @Ringmaster2000 Bang! :D)
I'm just an average man with an average life I work from 9 to 5, hey, dinky, I pay the price All I want is to be left alone in my average home But why do I always feel like I'm in the twilight zone and I always feel like somebody's watching me And I have no privacy oh o oh I always feel like somebody's watching me tell me is it just a dream When I come home at night I bolt the door real tight People call me on the phone, I'm trying to avoid But can the people on TV see me or am I just paranoid When I'm in the shower I'm afraid to wash my hair Cause I might open my eyes and find someone standing there People say I'm crazy, just a little touched But maybe showers remind me of Psycho too much That's why... I always feel like somebody's watching me And I have no privacy oh o oh I always feel like somebody's watching me who's playing tricks on me [ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/somebodys-watching-me-lyrics-rockwell.html Read more: ROCKWELL - SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME LYRICS
 @Funky-Munky So close the drapes...the neighbors don't want to watch either...
 @OrcasThunder  @Funky-Munky heat sensing cameras can see you having sex through the roof of your house. Â
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Sounds like an expensive system to supply porn for cops to me. Â
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And you KNOW with the proven misfits we have throughout the Seattle Police Department it will be misused.Â
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@Andrew Bush@Funky-Munky "can see you having sex through the roof of your house. "
Well, if that's what it takes to get some...
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That was funny but true.... Orca likes to watch and have others watch kind of thing.... really kinky stuff Orca is into. @Andrew Bush  @OrcasThunderÂ
 @OrcasThunder One more: It's sad that you would cosign Drones spying on U.S. citizens. This isn't the friggin' Middle East contrary to nose bags such as yourself. Grrrooowwwlll!
 @OrcasThunder You're just as they say in my hood.... A nose bag.... a.k.a busy body. Give up and roll over to privacy intrusion. I won't.
So now they''ll be able to assalt you remotely.
Can't help but wonder why we are spending tax $ on Chinese-made drone helicopters...
 @JLS1950 It said the drone was made in Canada.
 @keri555 Missed that, but most everything of this brand is made in China. And if assembled in Canada, I wonder where the parts come from.
 @keri555 What?! Have we fallen so such inept depths as a country that we can't even make our own robot spies here?Â
I'm sooooo glad I don't live in Seattle anymore. What do you need drones for? To look at all the sheep?Â
 @BornAndRaisedInWA I suspect you aren't the only one who's glad you don't live here anymore
 @TruthinAdverts Nope, I got along with everybody great.  I still have family and friends trying to break out of there. I'm glad I left the corrupt cops and drones to the professional victims like yourself. Â
 @BornAndRaisedInWA  @TruthinAdverts sure you do born... sure you do.Â
This is the future- get used to it. I'm all for it, especially if there is potential danger. Why risk a human?
 "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin.@Scoondog
 @Blindman  @Scoondog Interestingly, I suspect Franklin would have invented drones, if he'd had access to the technology.Â
@TheBronze It takes more than just the abillity to regurgitate sayings to demonstrate an unerstanding if the 'principals of the founding fathers'.
@TruthinAdverts @Blindman @Scoondog You obviously have no point of reference in the principals of the founding fathers of this country.
I would not trust anything the SPD said or did any more than I would the LA PD. This is one more step towards the realization of all those old si-fi movies of citizen observation' weather we know it is going on or not. And we are all willingly going along with it and loosing our freedoms at the same time, Yippie!Â
In other news, sales of tennis rackets and butterfly nets have skyrocketed....
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j/k
 @Sutekh LOl... imagine catching a drone in netting people put up.  That would be hysterical. Â
bzzzz  bzzzz   bzzzz
 @Sutekh He he.... Sling shots too. Â
My my.... One has to ask though, Are the lying, abusing Seattle Police department who defrauded the entire city out of millions for a system of accountability that didn't exist ready for such responsibility? Â Â I think not. Â : )Â
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Soon America will be exporting prisoners and paying other countries to hold them. Â Its the next big American export. Â
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Land of the Free .. Wooo Hoooo!! Â We're #1 Â We'Re #1
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@Andrew Bush SPD will be hovering over your house for sure now Andrew, They have you on their radar for sure. cue the twilight music
 @lakeunion  I am sure they will officer LakeUnion.  Â
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Jackboot licker's always say things like that to me too. Â
 @Andrew Bush Never surrender Andrew... these Drones/people would allow a camera installed right up their own tush if the government told them too. They deserve no freedom, no privacy and most likely never fought for their country or had a family member who did.
 @Andrew Bush Actually, that's not a bad idea. Under NAFTA we could contract with Mexico to build and staff prisons for 10¢ on the dollar to house our lifers, with the stipulation that if any of them set foot in the USA again, it is "shoot on sight".