Cops Called

[WEOTN]

close to adjacent property

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!

 

[mark_t]

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.

Slow down there

The rules are very clear, in the UK it is 50m away from people and buildings not under your control, that is why flying from your yard in the UK is a bit of a non-starter. Especially as that distance increases to 150m if you are in a 'congested area' which is defined as 'any area which is substantially used for residential, commercial, industrial or recreational purposes.'

It really isn't vague at all.

In Canada right now I believe that distance is 75 m from buildings, vehicles, vessels, animals, people/crowds.

 

[Malavic]

I have a paranoid schizophrenic in my neighborhood, she's already yelled at me as I was walking past her house to not fly the drone near her. The cops FREQUENTLY visit her house because she feeds the bears, yells at the neighbors and makes a total nuisance of herself. She's accused the neighbor of spying on her because he left footprints in the ice near her house. This was in July. Yes, she's nuts.

Anyway, what I expect to happen is that I'll be flying above my house, she'll hear the noise and call the cops. When the cops arrive, I'll put the mavic away, grab the U818A FPV drone I own and offer $100 to anyone who can fly it to her house and back without crashing. If the controller will let if fly that far, as soon as it's up above the trees the wind will blow it away anyway, lol.

 

[DSGDSG]

I thought that from 85ft to 400ft was public airspace?
If people are so worried about spying then how can Google Earth get away with it? I can Google Earth anybody's house and land and get a clear picture of their cars, their pool, ect. I can Google their address in the local property tax website and get their names and then Google their name and address and get their voting information along with other personal information. Along with finding out their name and address, you can find social media information and get even more information off their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, ect.. I look at something online and the next day I get emails to come back and look at the store site again.

Does ANYONE really have privacy anymore other than in your bathroom if you leave your phone in the other room. the FBI director said he even puts electrical tape over the cameras on his devices!

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.

 

[newnan3]

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.

A lot of people a drone's only use is spying on people in their home. Im not sure where this notion comes from...Your neighbor is just downright creeper. What does the banner you put up say?

On a side note when i first got my MP i was hovering it above my house. While landing one of the neighbors came following it over saying she called 911. I asked why in an obviously annoyed tone. She said because she didnt know it was me and that she thought it came from another neighborhood. Then she left and said disaster averted lol. Some people....

 

[Malavic]

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.

You can shine a laser at the camera and it will attempt to adjust the exposure towards the dark side, rendering it useless. You can also aim an IR illuminator at the camera. This will blank it out totally at night and may also negatively affect the daytime exposure. I have a spare IR illuminator and cams on my house, so I'll give it a go and see what happens during the day. I expect it'll just be a bright spot but if it sees the IR LEDS it's going to wash out the footage as well.

 

[DSGDSG]

Yeah I've looked into an ir floodlight. But the problem is, if I do something to affect the way his equipment works, it's he that can use the law to force my hand whereas I have no legal ground to stand on to stop his behavior.

 

[Malavic]

Yeah I've looked into an ir floodlight. But the problem is, if I do something to affect the way his equipment works, it's he that can use the law to force my hand whereas I have no legal ground to stand on to stop his behavior.

You are allowed to illuminate your property. Put a tiny figurine of your favorite patron saint in front of it. If the side affect is that his peep cam is disabled...oh well.

 

[Grey Wolf]

The best thing to do is wear an orange or bright yellow safety vest, a construction helmet, a foldable landing pad and a clip board.
Guaranteed, no one will say anything as you would "look" professional. LOL!
But I am serious! Works all the time for me!

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

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.

.22 Rifle can solve the camera problem.

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

The best thing to do is wear an orange or bright yellow safety vest, a construction helmet, a foldable landing pad and a clip board.
Guaranteed, no one will say anything as you would "look" professional. LOL!
But I am serious! Works all the time for me!

Are you serious this works?

 

[Malavic]

Are you serious this works?

Get some cheap magnetic signs for your car doors: "Aerial 3D Surveyor" with a slug line 'We map the Earth where other surveyors can't go" to complete the disguise.

 

[AyeYo]

Get some cheap magnetic signs for your car doors: "Aerial 3D Surveyor" with a slug line 'We map the Earth where other surveyors can't go" to complete the disguise.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Just bring along your gf/wife when you go to places you might get hassled. When flying alone, I get grief all the time. When my wife is there, no one says a word. Just the other day I had a guy give me a dirty look, get off his bike to come over and talk ****... and as he's on his way I fast walk over to my wife and soon as she acknowledges me he immediately turns around, gets back on the bike and leaves.

 

[erkme73]

You can shine a laser at the camera and it will attempt to adjust the exposure towards the dark side, rendering it useless. You can also aim an IR illuminator at the camera. This will blank it out totally at night and may also negatively affect the daytime exposure. I have a spare IR illuminator and cams on my house, so I'll give it a go and see what happens during the day. I expect it'll just be a bright spot but if it sees the IR LEDS it's going to wash out the footage as well.

This is actually a very good idea. Most lower-power (<5mw) laser pointers don't generate enough heat to require intermittent breaks. They can be powered with a 3V wall adapter, and remain on 24/7. I use one that is plugged into my garage door opener light socket. The pointer aims at a spot on my wife's dashboard. So when she pulls in, when she sees the red dot on the dash, she knows she's in far enough.

But something like that, aimed squarely into the lens of the camera(s) in question will not only outright blind it (day or night), but if left on long enough, will permanently damage the imaging sensor.

The one I used for the garage door was a $3 cat toy I got from Walmart. I just took the laser module out, and wired it to the appropriate wall adapter.

If you want to go fancy, you can buy a green one that has a focus ring on it. That would allow you to make the dot as big as necessary to flood the entire camera.

As for the any legal protections he may have against your camera counter-measures, I think you have nothing to fear. Of course, if you're concerned enough about it, go visit a property attorney for a consult.

FWIW, I have nearly 20 cameras on the exterior of my home. Most are in the front, with a number that cover the perimeter of my home. There are no blind spots. No one can touch my house without getting captured by at least two or three cameras.

One of my cameras, which faces the gate that enters my back yard, incidentally captures the side of my neighbor's house. Because of the rather wide lens (2.8mm), there is not enough detail to identify anyone at their house, but the camera appears to be aimed in their direction.

Since it's a rental, any time there is a new tenant, the first thing I do is print a full-screen capture of that camera, and take it to them so they can see what that camera sees. They're grateful to know that the image isn't clear enough to cause them any privacy concerns.

 

[regdawg]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Just bring along your gf/wife when you go to places you might get hassled. When flying alone, I get grief all the time. When my wife is there, no one says a word. Just the other day I had a guy give me a dirty look, get off his bike to come over and talk ****... and as he's on his way I fast walk over to my wife and soon as she acknowledges me he immediately turns around, gets back on the bike and leaves.

LMAO

 

[J3ffrey]

I can't believe he's allowed to have a camera pointed at your pool... that's nuts. I could see pointing a camera and your pool is in part of the shot if it's for his video of his yard..

 

[geigy]

We are advised by the FAA not to fly over 400 feet, and anything under 500 feet is trespassing, so we really have no legal place to fly in populated areas, or any legal recourse if a particular homeowner gets riled up and calls the cops.

I think in practice, it seems to me, we should have some consideration for people who hate having a drone hovering nearby, and above all try not to put ourselves in that position. Fly higher than 100 feet, 300 or 400 feet, perhaps to keep the noise level down, and keep moving, and not linger over a particular house to the point where they notice it hovering there, and call the cops.

I do not mean to criticize the OP, who did nothing wrong. I think we can use our experiences here to try and minimize our impact on the population at large, and keep the skies open for flying drones for as long as possible.

 

[MrMavic]

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

This will explain "Get out of Dodge"

 

[Walt Rush]

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.

IMHO, bad advice.Getting caught lying to the police will bring you more grief and hassle than flying in the park.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

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

American reference to Dodge City. Criminals ("bandits") needed to "get out of Dodge" before the Sheriff (or bounty hunter, marshal) caught them.