Cops Called

[Hellsbellsidaho]

Has anybody had the cops call on them by neighbor because they don't like your drone?

 

[Achilles]

Has anybody had the cops call on them by neighbor because they don't like your drone?

Not at home but in a park. Runner ran by and 5min later, I saw the cops roll up on me, from the Mavic's camera. It was too meta

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

Not at home but in a park. Runner ran by and 5min later, I saw the cops roll up on me, from the Mavic's camera. It was too meta

What did the cop tell you?

 

[Achilles]

What did the cop tell you?

You're not allowed to fly here. You need to stop. They were very nice and friendly. It was more like, "I have better things to do than come and hassle you about flying a drone but I was called."

 

[Aerial Gopher]

Check battery level, if greater than 40%, climb to 400 feet. Hide controller. Say I am not flying I was playing a video game on my phone. Let them leave, then you go to another spot and bring the mavic down even a couple blocks away.

This 40% is required in case they talk to you for long duration, and you will require a few minutes to get to your other location before you bring down the drone.

Try this at your own risk..

Generally though police have much better things to do, and they *have* to respond. Just play nice, even if you are in the right if you are fully legally allowed to fly where you are. If you treat them with dignity, you will get the same back.

This did not work when I crossed the border back into Canada from the US and they asked if I had fireworks, I said yes, They asked me why i had them, I said its Canada day, I was going to celebrate. They had to confiscate them and they wanted to "incinerate" them. I laughed, I said, OH so YOU get to light them and celebrate Canada day and I can't? With a bit of a smirk.. She did not like that.

 

[dewster]

Check battery level, if greater than 40%, climb to 400 feet. Hide controller. Say I am not flying I was playing a video game on my phone. Let them leave, then you go to another spot and bring the mavic down even a couple blocks away.

This 40% is required in case they talk to you for long duration, and you will require a few minutes to get to your other location before you bring down the drone.

Try this at your own risk..

Generally though police have much better things to do, and they *have* to respond. Just play nice, even if you are in the right if you are fully legally allowed to fly where you are. If you treat them with dignity, you will get the same back.

This did not work when I crossed the border back into Canada from the US and they asked if I had fireworks, I said yes, They asked me why i had them, I said its Canada day, I was going to celebrate. They had to confiscate them and they wanted to "incinerate" them. I laughed, I said, OH so YOU get to light them and celebrate Canada day and I can't? With a bit of a smirk.. She did not like that.

Lol. Use your remote as Homepoint and get out of Dodge.

 

[Cerberus]

Lol. Use your remote as Homepoint and get out of Dodge.

umm, can someone enlightened me on the meaning of "Get out of Dodge" ? is Dodge the places name or ???

 

[kona]

Some people are pathetic.

 

[dirkclod]

umm, can someone enlightened me on the meaning of "Get out of Dodge" ? is Dodge the places name or ???

Means to get out of there . Just an American expression.

 

[Aerial Gopher]

Some people are pathetic.

YES Kona, that is you!
You have to understand that this is a forum for international users and some countries do not have exactly the same sayings and rhetoric as other country's.

Get out of dodge is basically a comment to mean get out of there quickly without being seen, I'm sure there is a better way to explain it, but that's generally what it means.

 

[Michael Ainsworth]

Not sure if Kona meant Cerebus or the people who call the cops.
I dont think he meant Cerebus.

 

[Aerial Gopher]

Not sure if Kona meant Cerebus or the people who call the cops.
I dont think he meant Cerebus.

Who knows, its text, posts should be tailored to make sense and include references as to what they are referring to. This is why Friends should not text non friends...

 

[kona]

Not sure if Kona meant Cerebus or the people who call the cops.
I dont think he meant Cerebus.

I meant the guy who has nothing better to do with his life than call the cops over a toy.

Aerial Gopher, you are right I could have made that clearer. And yes, I accept your apology for assuming and insulting.

 

[dirkclod]

Now that that's settled let's get back on topic guys.

 

[mark_t]

Has anybody had the cops call on them by neighbor because they don't like your drone?

In some countries they would be entirely justified in doing that as you can't legally fly a camera equipped drone close to adjacent property. (UK & Canada for example).

But for the most part I'd have thought staying on good terms with your neighbors was the best approach, but if that ship has already sailed then it is only a matter of time before it happens.

One more reason why I don't fly from my home sadly...

 

[SeaComms]

We have strange rules down here. Safety first obviously but the privacy side got thrown out the window a few years back and I can legally film my neighbour's with my drone as long as I don't record the sound of their conversation. So our privacy laws only cover audio not video.

 

[mark_t]

It is the safety side that gets you in the UK, as with typical housing densities you are never far enough away from your neighbors house unless you live way out in the middle of nowhere or on a farm.

 

[geigy]

My recommendation would be to cooperate and try to be polite to the police, and to anyone else who is using the public space. This is not a contest to stand up to them, but a contest to accommodate people who may not yet understand the role of drones and their importance, giving them some breathing space, even if they are in the wrong, so that we can retain shared use of the parks.

 

[JoostGT3]

In the Netherlands there was a news item last week that the police had performed a "large scale action against illegal drone activities"... on the internet.

According to a spokesperson, in 90% of the cases where they get called, when the police arrives the drone is already gone or they have trouble finding the pilot p). So, they had 40 people combing through known dutch internet fora, communities, etc. to find proof of illegal behavior and then sent out warnings. In a handful of cases, the facts were so grave that they are investigating the possibilities of legal action.

On the one hand, I found this news a bit pathetic, on the other hand, when you read certain Dutch forums (for example tweakers), there are A LOT of people who know the rules but really couldn't care less, especially since they consider themselves "uncatchable"... I think that receiving an email/letter from the police with an official warning could help in that case.

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

Well this jackwagon told the cops I was spying on him and his family. Said that he has two young daughters and I was trying to get a look at them though the windows from an altitude of 100 feet i flew over. The cops told me that under 500 feet altitude is trespassing. Some paranoia on his part.