New faces like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the underwear bomber) and Nidal Malik Hasan (Fort Hood shooter) have re-awoken a fervor once thought left behind in the Bush days - one of going to nearly any length to tighten up national security. However, as early as 2007, Houston police have been testing UAV drones in hopes of deploying them for use in their police work. The drones built by Insitu, Inc. weigh aprox. 40 pounds and stay airborne for as long as 24 hours.
The following video was taken in November of 2007 by Local 2 news in Houston Texas.
Once the police caught wind that the entire video had been leaked by the local news media, a press conference was put together to answer questions. As, up until that point, the entire demonstration was completely secret. Executive Assistant Police Chief Montalvo said that the drones were intended to aid police and rescue workers wherever air-bound eyes would be needed: to surveil traffic during accidents and evacuations as well as to provide intelligence for tactical operations. She also said the drones would be useful during other disasters including when search and rescue is needed.
Others feel that UAVs serve as a danger to our privacy. Alex Jones' popular website infowars.com recently re-published this article from its source NewsJunkie and re-opened public discourse on the issue.
As with the issue of Cyber Defense we will be revisiting the issue of police use of UAV as time rages on!
