Texas Sheriffs Crash $250k Drone They're Not Supposed To Be Flying 93
SpaceGhost writes: "The Houston Chronicle reveals that Friday morning a $250,000 drone was lost by the Sheriff's department in Lake Conroe (just north of Houston.) Divers have been searching for the drone. What's more, the drone is reportedly over the FAA's 25-pound weight limit, so they shouldn't have been flying it in the first place (the Chronicle says 49 pounds, the Montgomery County Police Reporter says 29 pounds — either way, it's too heavy). The MCPR article goes on to discuss the recently passed Texas Legislature House Bill 912 which restricts the use of drones to observe private property, likely influenced by the January 2012 discovery of illegal pig blood runoff and subsequent indictment."
Cops do whatever they want (Score:5, Insightful)
and justify it with liberal interpretation of probable cause later.
Then a fearful and ignorant populace allow them to keep doing it.
Re:Cops do whatever they want (Score:5, Insightful)
This is one of the saddest truths about our society police should be held to a higher standard with stricter punishments than those applied to regular civilians. But instead they are rarely criminally charged for criminal actives and even more rarely convicted and sentenced on par with regular civilian criminals
Re: (Score:2)
"But instead they are rarely criminally charged for criminal actives and even more rarely convicted and sentenced on par with regular civilian criminals"
They protect the rich and powerful, what were you expecting? The police and military have always been the gangsters for capitalism. Who was it that attacked the civil rights movement again?
Re: (Score:1)
Thats because we are a capitalist country dumbass. In socialist countries the police and military are gangsters for socialism. What is your point?
Re: (Score:2)
They were using the drone to film police activities on the ground. What does that have to do with probable cause?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
They had probable cause that some guys on the ground were using an overweight drone unlawfully.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
How did they lose it in a lake if it was observing police activity on the ground?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Duh. You can't see ground when you're over water. Also dogs can't look up.
Re: (Score:1)
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," Yossarian observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka replied.
Re: (Score:1)
Ha!
That movie is on right now
Thanks,
Major Major M. Major
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And just what is it you think the populace can do about it? They have the guns.
LEO or the populace? This is Texas, remember? Carrying a firearm is not only a right but also a requirement there.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't worry. Now that technology is allowing these abuses to target "us" and not "them" people will start getting angry.
Texas Rangers (Score:2)
Re:Texas Rangers (Score:5, Funny)
The eyes of the ranger are upon you, and they're quite heavy.
The eyes, or the rangers?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
The eyes, or the rangers?
First one, then the other...
Who will watch these selfsame watchers? (Score:5, Insightful)
True in Roman times.
True in Victorian times.
True today.
Note to America: That which removes your freedoms out of fear makes you Weaker, not Stronger.
Re: (Score:3)
No, the first in line is the Sirius Cybernetic Corp
Re:Who will watch these selfsame watchers? (Score:5, Funny)
Who will watch the watchers? That's easy -- private drones under the 25lb weight limit.
Re:Who will watch these selfsame watchers? (Score:4, Funny)
Who will watch the watchers?
WeightWatchers perhaps?
Re: (Score:2)
Who will watch the watchers? That's easy -- private drones under the 25lb weight limit.
You may be joking, but that's the answer. The problem of "who will watch the watchers" has long been solved: Everyone. Those concerned about the watchers behavior should be allowed to watch the behaviors of the watchers with their own independent watching group. This is the basic fundamental principal of accountability, and it can only be corrupted if secrecy is allowed. Personally, instead of drones, I would use a simple image recognition system hooked up to a couple of telescopes and a mesh of at leas
Re: (Score:2)
we solved that issue.
The people watch them.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah. The fact that we're discussing this means that we're watching them.
The FAA and the Texas Legislature are restricting the capabilities and the uses of drones.
and nothing of value (Score:1)
-I'm just sayin'
Re: (Score:2)
So that's the junk that ended up in my backyard!?!
Find MH370... (Score:1)
I see what you did there! (Score:2)
While privacy is preferred, if there is to be a panopticon, it must be one everyone can look through, not just government i.e. people in power.
"With warrant" is not enough -- not when all it takes is one corrupt lackey to abuse it on the orders of a politician.
A drone is just one of many aspects to this new tool of dictatorship...especially when only government can use it.
Re:I see what you did there! (Score:4, Insightful)
"With warrant" is not enough -- not when all it takes is one corrupt lackey to abuse it on the orders of a politician.
As far as I can tell, our police is perfectly capable of exceeding their authorities without orders from a politician.
Re: (Score:2)
If you are outside, you have no right to privacy from being viewed.
Re: (Score:2)
"With warrant" is not enough -- not when all it takes is one corrupt lackey to abuse it on the orders of a politician.
Especially when that politician is taking their orders from their corporate master.
Well, it's Texas (Score:5, Funny)
the Chronicle says 49 pounds, the Montgomery County Police Reporter says 29 pounds — either way, it's too heavy
Shouldn't they deserve a special exception from the FAA's weight limit? After all, everything's bigger in Texas [chron.com].
Re: (Score:2)
29, 49, so close, does it even matter?
Re: (Score:1)
I'm pretty sure a Shadow Hawk weighs 55 tons [wikia.com]
Famous Texas saying...... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Famous Texas saying...... (Score:4, Informative)
It's not a famous "saying", it's famous "LAST WORDS" ;-)
Privacy to pollute (Score:3, Interesting)
Most of the noise about drones and "privacy" is astroturf campaigns funded by industrial polluters who don't want to get caught.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think Texas can legally ban drones anyway, it's the exclusive jurisdiction of the FAA. Just like states can't pass laws restricting the use of radio frequencies because again, it's the exclusive jurisdiction of the FCC.
There are things Texas CAN do... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The small town of Washington, Iowa, pop 7000. Just got a surplus MRAP.
http://dailyiowan.com/2014/04/... [dailyiowan.com]
Silly people (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't you know that laws don't apply to government officials?
Re: (Score:2)
Government official get arrested and prosecuted.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but those stories don't get mentioned on slashdot.
Re: (Score:2)
Not as often as they should be.
Hopefully the Supreme Court will rule [washingtonpost.com] the First Amendment applies to government employees.
Evil bit (Score:1, Redundant)
Activists SHOULD set the evil bit to zero (0) while hunting violators of pollution regulations and other worthy causes. The cops MUST set the evil bit to one (1) while abusing power. At other times the cops MAY set the evil bit to zero (0), especially when gathering evidence on rich people, gun owners, for-profit corporations and non-compliant ranchers.
hunting for planes (Score:1)
they've been looking for an entire jetliner for weeks (and positively spamming every newsfeed in the world the entire time), how do they expect to find a lost drone?
Re: (Score:2)
Because the search radius not thousands of miles?
Texas Sheriffs crash 250K$ drone (Score:2)
Were they texting while flying?
Re: (Score:2)
Considering this is Texas more likely they were shooting while flying.
Looking in a lake .... (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like a fishing story to me.
FAA website is not a reliable source (Score:1)
A COA can be approval for anything. There is no inherent limitation on weight. The FAAs website is chalk full of PR half truths. Source: I've received a COA for a >25 lb aircraft.
Re: (Score:2)
A COA can be approval for anything. There is no inherent limitation on weight. The FAAs website is chalk full of PR half truths. Source: I've received a COA for a >25 lb aircraft.
More importantly, there is no legal binding policy regulating drones at all, at least not as far as I can find.
The FAA has clearly stated that they don't want people flying drones for commercial use without a license. However, they never created a regulation to that effect, so it is really nothing more than a suggestion, and not legally enforceable.
There will be no consequences (Score:1)
The FAA will not do anything to punish illegal drone flights by law enforce^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H domestic anti-terror officers.
At $10,000 per pound (Score:1)
Someone is getting scammed, and it is you, the taxpayers.
Weight limit (Score:1)
Private drones (Score:2)
Once the technology becomes ubiquitous, watch for private drones armed with small air-to-air rockets being used to take out police drones.
Re: (Score:2)
RC plane with a couple of ropes trailing behind should be enough, especially for the helicopter drones.
Looks more like an army. (Score:4, Interesting)
Looks more like an army than a police department.
In some ways, not in others (Score:1)
Similar toys but military personnel usually get real consequences instead of paid vacation when they fsck up.
Well, Texas used to be an independent nation. (Score:2)
Just another fine example (Score:1)
Of texan hick cops who obvious have contempt for the very law they profess to enforce, as they dont follow the rules themselves, with their new toys.
Same department? (Score:2)
Isn't this the same department that crashed a drone into their own armored vehicle full of SWAT personnel during a photo op? This seems a lot less like mechanical difficulties and more like inexperienced/inept officers who are blaming everything on their new, expensive, unnecessary toys.
http://gizmodo.com/5890507/pol... [gizmodo.com]
Here hold my beer, watch this. BOOM (Score:1)
And so goes what everyone knew what would happen when you gave drones to cops.
Boys will be boys (Score:2)