Cops Called

Hellsbellsidaho · Apr 25, 2017

I started to fly my Mavic from my backyard instead of the front and when I come in for a landing I take a different path each time with a low landing so to make it more difficult to pinpoint the landing. This should lessen the changes of another visit from the cops. They did try to pin this as being the second time somebody complained about my drone. I asked when the first time was and they said January. I told them I ordered the drone in Feburary so it wasn't me and showed them the receipt. Ask them if they heard that when you assume, you are making an *** out of U or ME! In case it was him.

AeroEyez · Jul 19, 2018

Just had the cops called on me yesterday...

geigy · Jul 19, 2018

Sorry about that. A lot of ignorant people out there. Had a fellow droner walk up to me yesterday and ask if I had a "license", the proceeded to tell me that drones are illegal without a permit in Calif. parks. Not true. So this is a wide phenomenon. Good to have local, county, and state rules at your fingertips as there is a lot of confusion out there.

BTW - This thread is a bit stale - maybe a new thread?

erkme73 · Jul 19, 2018

"I'm uncomfortable... My dad drove by and was uncomfortable..." .JFC, what bunch of triggered, entitled snowflakes.

It's balls hot outside, and I'm uncomfortable. I need to call the cops to let them know they need to make me more comfortable. This guy needs a safe space or crying room where he can feel protected and comfortable.

This is why I packed up my belongings and moved to BFE. I bought 50 acres in the middle of nowhere. Seeing how humanity is collapsing into a bunchbun overly-sensitive cry babies is embarrassing, frustrating, and disgusting. It won't be long before this drama turns into violence for even the simplest non-existent offense.

Fortunately, the people in my new zip code are like minded and fed up as well.

Roc Rat · Jul 19, 2018

You and the officer handled it VERY well.

Dave A · Jul 19, 2018

AeroEyez said:
Just had the cops called on me yesterday...

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You handled like a true professional. Well done.

Eric17 · Jul 19, 2018

Nice job aero, i see you are a fellow jeep guy as well

that other guy was an idiot and definite snowflake.

AClineman · Jul 19, 2018

Hellsbellsidaho said:
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.

I think what the general public fails to realize is that these things don’t have super cameras on them like google earth (which can get some super close amazing pictures from virtually outer space!)
Even when using my zoom, at a couple hundred feet you look like a speck and the camera offers more of a fish eye lense or wide angle view of landscapes at those altitudes. Hardly could use it for spying, then again if your 50’ above them that’s a different story.

wytnyt · Jul 19, 2018

i must be one of the few that have good neighbors
i had my drone idling at about 20 feet in my front yard while looking at the controller and when i looked up it was gone!
looking all around for it i noticed a blinking light on the roof of my neighbors house across the street.
these horrid stories i read here quickly came to mind,crap he wont let me get it back
i went over,knocked on his door,explained the situation,he laughed and said,i wondered when you would wreck that thing
he got his ladder out and drone recovered,,,all good

ROBERTNCREST · Jul 19, 2018

DSGDSG said:
This is what drives me nuts. The people who cite privacy, yet don't seem to have any issue whatsoever with all the other actual intrusions on their privacy. With those things they simply shrug their shoulders and live with it, but because of the mania/paranoia that gets whipped up by just a word...drone...suddenly many are on a personal crusade against anyone who happens to be using one.

And as far as privacy goes. I live next to a real POS. I could be a NYT best selling author if I jotted things him and his girlfriend have done down into a book. Two years ago he installed surveillance cameras all over his house. If you walked into a casino you'd be watched by less cameras than this guy put up. One of them he mounted on a corner of his house that should aim across his property if his concern was truly his own safety, but instead it was pointed the opposite direction, directly at my pool where my pre teen daughter and her friends frequently spend time. I traveled every avenue I could seeking a legal solution to get him to stop perving on my children and wife. There was nothing I could do to get it to point elsewhere. So what I did was install several panels of lattice standing 10' tall immediately in front of the camera, on my property and planted with clematis and grapes to block his view into the pool. The very day I blocked his sight into my pool, he climbed a tree and installed ANOTHER camera way up in the tree to see over the obstacle I placed in his way so he could continue voyeuring. I went again down the legal route insisting this had to demonstrate his true intentions but still got no relief. So I went to staples and had an 8' long 2' tall banner printed, essentially alluding to his being a pedophile and placed an extension on my obstacle to hang the banner, facing his property. Sure enough, hours later he and his girlfriend called the police on us....again. The police came and I was expecting to have to take the sign down. However, the officer stood in his backyard and read the sign. Looked up into the tree and spotted the camera. He asked my neighbor if he put that camera up there. My neighbor replied that he did to which the police responded "then go pound sand" and they promptly left. The camera remains with nothing I can do about it even though it's readily obvious it's meant just to spy on my young daughter but my sign remains too for all their company to enjoy and question them as to why it exists.

Ya' know, a paint-ball gun might be a non-lethal method to remove (reposition) that camera, it helps if you freeze the balls.

mrwagdog · Jul 19, 2018

@AeroEyez - you handled that well with good, calm composure. The police response was well done as well.

CarlStarke · Jul 19, 2018

AeroEyez said:
Just had the cops called on me yesterday...

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Well done buddy, you handled it very well. I would not have been able to be that patient and calm with him.

Cheech Wizard · Jul 19, 2018

Hellsbellsidaho said:
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.

That's when you educate the cop and tell him you aren't supposed to fly over 400 ft (nobody owns the airspace) so NOT trespassing) and in LOS. Show him you are being responsible. As far as "Hiding in the sky"... that is a bad idea on so many levels. I'm 60 years old and am not afraid to talk to a cop. They work for us, remember? I let him know that I am bringing the drone back and will be with him as soon as it's safely landed.I pull out my tablet and open the B4UFLY app to show him I can legally fly there, and have another app called UAV Forecast which shows conditions are good for flying. If you try to "Hide" too many things can go wrong starting with cops knowing body language and are pretty good at telling if you are lying. The drone can lose your signal and fly off, your battery may start to die and before the cop leaves it automatically comes home...etc. .

Just be an adult and be truthful and you should have no problems.

Cheech Wizard · Jul 19, 2018

CarlStarke said:
Well done buddy, you handled it very well. I would not have been able to be that patient and calm with him.

That is the point, you have to be patient and calm.

Cheech Wizard · Jul 19, 2018

WEOTN said:
How far is close? It should be illegal to create laws that are open to interpretation. Might eliminate many lawyers and court cases so it will never happen, though it should.

I would politely ask the Law Enforcer to show me the specific municipal code I was in violation of, or at least the reference number so I could find it myself to educate myself on local restrictions tighter than County State or Federal.

I'm just getting started and I'm rather confused by how I can find a place that isn't restricted by some governing authority. Any feedback welcome!

Get this app from the FAA and you can show them whether it's legal to fly there or not.

B4UFLY Mobile App

Cheech Wizard · Jul 19, 2018

DSGDSG said:
Has anyone watched this video yet where a woman stole someones drone and then called the police?

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It really burns me up because not only did she steal it but she boasted about what she did and she lied to police making a false report in an attempt to get someone into trouble. I really hope the guy pressed the issue with the local PD. There's no justification for anyone to behave in this manner.

Here's a nut from my hometown.

AeroEyez · Jul 19, 2018

Roc Rat said:
You and the officer handled it VERY well.

Thank you. I feel like had I lost my head, it would’ve been bad for the community and industry as a whole. Thanks for watching.

Underdog1964 · Jul 19, 2018

Cheech Wizard said:
Here's a nut from my hometown.

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Poor kid!
Anyone know what happened with this?

Cheech Wizard · Jul 19, 2018

Underdog1964 said:
Poor kid!
Anyone know what happened with this?

Yep, but I think right after this drones were banned from State Parks in CT. Not a lot of airspace to begin with in this small state.

FlyGuy8675309 · Jul 19, 2018

One neighbor called about "the noise" one night last year (around 7pm). The LEO came and listened to the Mavic flying around and said it wasn't any louder than the AC units attached to the houses. Even though it wasn't really making any noise (400' up, almost windless night), I told him about the FAA exemption to the noise ordinance (which most municipalities have) and showed him my FAA 336 card. he looked up the law, smiled, and said he'd pass it along to dispatch. Haven't had an issue since.