Police aiming laser/rifle at drone

[Hoverhigh]

Today I was flying my drone around my property and while doing this the police raided a house down the street. I started recording, that's when the SWAT team dragged the a guy out of the house. About 10 mins into the incident one of the officers aimed his rifle/laser at my drone. I was flying 350ft up and not above the scene. My wife and neighbor said they heard 2 faint gun shots, like he tried to shoot the drone.

 

[TonyPHX]

Ok, that is criminal behavior. I would get it documented and reported immediately.

 

[mavic3usa]

No comment.

 

[Chip]

Some disturbing facts and very interesting questions presented. Do you know why SWAT raided the house and arrested the guy?

 

[Hoverhigh]

Some disturbing facts and very interesting questions presented. Do you know why SWAT raided the house and arrested the guy?

Not sure why SWAT was there.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Ok, that is criminal behavior. I would get it documented and reported immediately.

Concur. No justification for targeting the OP's drone. It isn't as if they haven't got video evidence of it.

If... If deputy Dawg did crack off a couple of shots, surely basic firearms training includes the #101 physics of "what goes up must come down"... Dumb thing to do in a residential area.

 

[KB9Radio]

Today I was flying my drone around my property and while doing this the police raided a house down the street. I started recording, that's when the SWAT team dragged the a guy out of the house. About 10 mins into the incident one of the officers aimed his rifle/laser at my drone. I was flying 350ft up and not above the scene. My wife and neighbor said they heard 2 faint gun shots, like he tried to shoot the drone. View attachment 178937

First off there's no cop that's going to randomly shoot up in the air at an unknown aircraft. They have to justify and write a report on every shot they take, and in many cases sit through an interview. Second there's no cop could hit an object in the air at that range.
I also question how you could see a red dot laser (or any) at 350+ ft away.
I shoot all the time, and you aren't going to see a dot at over 100 yards away in daylight.

 

[MA2 317]

I also question how you could see a red dot laser (or any) at 350+ ft away.

Looks like the beam hit the camera directly.

Much like your eye should you look directly at the beam which is why a laser should never be pointed to the eyes.

Take a laser and point it at your phones camera and you'll probably see the same type of image.

.

 

[Rohn]

Following...

 

[orionshooter]

First off there's no cop that's going to randomly shoot up in the air at an unknown aircraft. They have to justify and write a report on every shot they take, and in many cases sit through an interview. Second there's no cop could hit an object in the air at that range.
I also question how you could see a red dot laser (or any) at 350+ ft away.
I shoot all the time, and you aren't going to see a dot at over 100 yards away in daylight.

Horse crap. History tells us cops are capable of FAR worse. I’ve seen it with my own eyes while wearing the badge. Cops are not immune to criminal behavior.

I agree, they must report any discharge of a firearm……and they will……IF they follow the rules.

To the original poster, a complaint should be lodged with the law enforcement department’s internal affairs unit. And, you should offer your observations to the local media. The use of the laser alone is completely unjustified.

Finally, flying over police activity of any kind reflects exceedingly poor judgment.

 

[Cafguy]

Simply pointing the laser at the Drone could damage some components and Thus would be considered Willful Sabotage under 18 U.S.C. § 32
I would have landed when I saw the police activity its not a good idea to be flying around that.

 

[GFields]

Collect all your facts and contact the FAA to see if you have a case.

 

[spamgnome]

First off there's no cop that's going to randomly shoot up in the air at an unknown aircraft. They have to justify and write a report on every shot they take, and in many cases sit through an interview. Second there's no cop could hit an object in the air at that range.
I also question how you could see a red dot laser (or any) at 350+ ft away.
I shoot all the time, and you aren't going to see a dot at over 100 yards away in daylight.

You saw the photo, right?

 

[KB9Radio]

You saw the photo, right?

Unless the camera was zoomed way up, the picture I saw was taken much closer than 350 ft in the air. So yeah I saw the photo, something just doesn't add up. All I know is no cop is going to stand there off-hand and line up on a drone camera at 350 ft in the air.
If you were 40 to 50 ft up as the picture would suggest, that's a different story entirely.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

That photo looks zoomed in and pixelated. Show the original shot to give a realistic view.

 

[MS Coast]

Ok, that is criminal behavior. I would get it documented and reported immediately.

What was the criminal act you believe was committed by the police?

IF the device producing the red color in the photo was a rifle, what was the crime? Was there a muzzle flash on the video near the time where the red color appeared?

(Anyone who ever used a scoped rifle has used it to look at things without firing on them.)

 

[DARKSeifer]

Too close, you need the 7x of the M3 to comfortably watch unseen and stay beyond the audible area, which is around 250-300m of the scene or more, depending on the surrounding noise.

Drones are intimidating by nature, so if you get noticed by cops, you'll have problems, that's for sure, unless you are just flying by.

I wouldn't recommend hovering near cops or people in general.

 

[Cafguy]

What was the criminal act you believe was committed by the police?

It is illegal for anyone to point a laser at an aircraft. If that laser causes damage to a component on the Aircraft such as the camera... That is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 32 as willful destruction.

 

[MS Coast]

It is illegal for anyone to point a laser at an aircraft. If that laser causes damage to a component on the Aircraft such as the camera... That is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 32 as willful destruction.

14 CFR 121.580 prohibits interfering with a member of a flight crew. One might also argue that someone shouting at a drone pilot's visual observer was also a criminal act.

If there was a fully loaded Airbus on short final involved, that would be another matter. But pointing a laser sight at a drone is not something the FAA or any law enforcement agency will be at all concerned with. I highly doubt that the drone's camera was damaged.

 

[tca]

Horse crap. History tells us cops are capable of FAR worse. I’ve seen it with my own eyes while wearing the badge. Cops are not immune to criminal behavior.

I agree, they must report any discharge of a firearm……and they will……IF they follow the rules.

To the original poster, a complaint should be lodged with the law enforcement department’s internal affairs unit. And, you should offer your observations to the local media. The use of the laser alone is completely unjustified.

Finally, flying over police activity of any kind reflects exceedingly poor judgment.

So how long did you wear the badge and where?