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Texas Sheriffs Crash $250k Drone They're Not Supposed To Be Flying
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."
and justify it with liberal interpretation of probable cause later.
Then a fearful and ignorant populace allow them to keep doing it.
The eyes of the ranger are upon you, and they're quite heavy.
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.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
was lost
-I'm just sayin'
And you will find this drone...
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.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
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.
"Hold my beer and watch this!"
Most of the noise about drones and "privacy" is astroturf campaigns funded by industrial polluters who don't want to get caught.
Don't you know that laws don't apply to government officials?
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
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.
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
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?
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
This comment in the story appears to be from Congressman Brady:
With a jet engine it is not stealth like most think.
My problem with that is that the ShadowHawk is available in turbine and 2-stroke versions and the photo in the story (supposedly of MCSO's) shows a 2-stroke muffler on the tail boom. So not a turbine. I only started looking because of this other comment, also from Brady:
According to Brady, the device costs about $40 per hour to operate, versus $500 per hour for a manned helicopter.
Which is bullshit. As with $500/hr for the full-size manned helicopter, $40/hr might just cover fuel costs but doesn't do anything for regular maintenance of the helicopter. Even model helicopters cost a lot more than $40/hr to run.
Were they texting while flying?
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Because it's Texas and the Harris county cops can damn well do whatever they please. Only, it's not pig blood they are looking for, it is you!
0) Hey, spending 250K for 2.5k value is pretty good for us.
1) Hmm, I guess we should have had some nerds on the payroll.
2) Don' be silly, you didn't think the money actually went to...
3) The price is right because we intend to put X on it later
4) Being on the national news, priceless.
5) Note to self: try to stay off the news.
6) What was that question again?
Sounds like a fishing story to me.
Have gnu, will travel.
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.
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.
Someone is getting scammed, and it is you, the taxpayers.
You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
It will be trivial to subjugate you to any will they wish to impose. and all your guns will be useless to free your bond.
This is a fact
Now, watch this here, I seen it in a movie once...
It's easy to get a waiver for the weight limit. Lots of giant-scale r/c'ers with planes twice that.
...they can regulate how police organizations are permitted to use existing technology and equipment. Ridiculous example - a police department in Texas may be able to get their hands on an M-1 tank, doesn't mean they can use it. Of course, they'll actually get to use it once, but after that...
Just like a 6 grade boy with a pack of condoms and an issue of Hustler for the first time.
Ha ha
Once the technology becomes ubiquitous, watch for private drones armed with small air-to-air rockets being used to take out police drones.
Looks more like an army than a police department.
Ah, the headline says "Sheriffs", but the story mentions ONE sheriff's department. Is the author perhaps confusing "sheriff" with "deputy sheriff"?
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.
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...
And so goes what everyone knew what would happen when you gave drones to cops.
Hopefully somebody used a little EWAR to bring it down into a lake.
Similar toys but military personnel usually get real consequences instead of paid vacation when they fsck up.
Even when they wear blue. Probably having too much fun.
In all honesty, the sherriff's department here is inept, overweight, and looking for trouble. I do not exaggerate. I'm surprised they have anyone on staff who think they could even fly a drone. They likely thought since because they can play Xbox, they can fly a drone. Again, this place is abjectly redneck. You can almost hear the locals whisper in hushed questioning tones: "Internet...??? I've heard tell of such a thing..."
I guess they haven't lost some habits.