Police came by my house

[RickMC]

Respectfully, I disagree. He needed to explain to the LE exactly as he did. The LE said he has been contacted multiple times so the LE is now in a better position to defend the op when the neighbors complain again.

The neighbors shouldn’t be complaining to police in the first place. They are completely wasting the cops time.

 

[RickMC]

Did the officer tell you to stop? Or, just letting you know there were complaints?

Huh? The officer has no right whatsoever to tell him to stop. He’s not breaking the law.

 

[Prmath]

I have had one neighbor yell to me about flying over his house. What i did since i am retired and a 24 hour caregiver for my wife i fly on weekdays while the working people near me are at work. Never heard from anyone again and the one that yelled to me still lives there.

True story .......
This old screwball once came up to me and told me I was upsetting his old dog in the backyard. I was @ 400ft but maybe the dog could hear it. IDK but I told him to go tell the Dog “I apologize. Sorry to upset him”........

 

[Vic Sparks]

Some neighbors complained I fly my drone from my backyard. The officer was very nice and embarrassed but told me even though it’s not his jurisdiction as drone flying is FAA, he wanted to inform me that they were complaining about their privacy etc. Their complaint was they were concerned on how can I control it so high. I explained to the officer that it’s ok in the US under 400 feet and the max height I fly is under 390 feet. Just sad that people are so paranoid. He tells me they email him when I fly etc. I think it’s the same two nosy neighbors that always complain about everything. Ugggg, get a life please!! Leave me be.

Your first move should have been to have a civil conversation before flying for the first time! You could have, perhaps solved a lot of the issues by this move. Show them your registration, show them how your drone is controlled, offer a free series of altitude pictures of their home. See if the neighbours want to learn how to fly... I went to everyone of my community members to to the gab sessions. I winter in Texas and always ask for permission to fly regardless if I have to or not. Never have I had opposition. I also show them my insurance , Drone School Certification. I explain all the safety procedures I MUST follow and so on. THis method of communication with our fellow citizens solves soooooo many problems. YOur flights do impact on your community but the Risks associated with this inevitable issue can be mitigated effectively.

 

[Vic Sparks]

Huh? The officer has no right whatsoever to tell him to stop. He’s not breaking the law.

That is it...piss off your neighbour. Not an effective way of resolving a dispute.

 

[Vic Sparks]

Huh? The officer has no right whatsoever to tell him to stop. He’s not breaking the law.

Civility solves problems, not taking the, " I can do whatever I want as long as I am _____________" Fill in the blank It is your neighbour.

 

[Dale D]

I have found that most people are really not aware at all of the way a drone is controlled. My Mavic Air is, as well all know, controlled by WIFI. I agree with the thought of trying to educate the neighbor or neighbors by offering to demonstrate, using your screen (I use an iPad for bigger image) what it is possible to see, and how you control the drone. As another writer has noted, you have little to lose. Try to get them involved. If they have a kid, offer to show the kid too. If they refuse, then just walk away nicely.

 

[ChrispyChickens]

I had a similar neighbor situation, but it was never escalated to the police. My elderly neighbor walks her dog every morning/afternoon in my front yard, I always launch and land from my driveway. She walked by one day when i had it up and she said “oh, you’re the one with the DRONE...” I said “yes ma’am, it’s up there now, want to see what im looking at?” And she said “I guess” so I showed her the sunset overlooking our city from ~375’ up, and she was just astounded, I then turned the camera down so it was us in the driveway, and she said, “oh, you can’t see anything up close ” she then went on to say she had heard people were spying on people with drones and whatnot, but was absolutely delighted to see the shots from the drone. Now she always asks for photos, and has never said a negative thing about it being up, she’s even asked me why I’m not flying it sometimes in the evenings, cause she wants more pictures. Best case scenario is just to talk to your neighbors, as others have said, and hopefully they’ll understand as mine did.

 

[747P4]

Respectfully, I disagree. He needed to explain to the LE exactly as he did. The LE said he has been contacted multiple times so the LE is now in a better position to defend the op when the neighbors complain again.

I must have misread the multiple contacts by the LE person. If that was indeed the case then I stand corrected and agree with you, so clarity would give the LE some background knowledge

 

[Mr. Salty]

Your first move should have been to have a civil conversation before flying for the first time! You could have, perhaps solved a lot of the issues by this move. Show them your registration, show them how your drone is controlled, offer a free series of altitude pictures of their home. See if the neighbours want to learn how to fly... I went to everyone of my community members to to the gab sessions. I winter in Texas and always ask for permission to fly regardless if I have to or not. Never have I had opposition. I also show them my insurance , Drone School Certification. I explain all the safety procedures I MUST follow and so on. THis method of communication with our fellow citizens solves soooooo many problems. YOur flights do impact on your community but the Risks associated with this inevitable issue can be mitigated effectively.

So what are we to do? Go door-to-door to every house we might fly over in a three-mile radius? That's not a very workable solution, especially since it's to some other person's paranoia.

 

[covpack]

I think that every state, and in some cases, city, town, public parks, home association, etc, is going to have some rules in regards to drones. If not now soon. In my state NV, NV passed a law about drones. It basically parrots FAA rules, however, it mostly concentrates on government restrictions. For example, police must have a search warrant. As far a privacy, NV law states that pilot must stay at least 250 feet above private property, unless it is in the process of landing or taking off or landing. Police cannot cited a drone operator unless the owner of the property notifies the operator of the drone first about the violation of privacy. Then the next time police can cite the drone operator. In my state the state law mostly takes precedent over local laws. However, we have other government agencies still making rules nily willy. For example, you are not allowed to land or takeoff from any state park. Similar to the National Park Service rules. However, I think this drone issue is going to end up being a fight over who owns airspace - FAA or local governments. Right now, FAA is suppose to be in control, but I am sure this will be tested by courts. This is NV Law on drones: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

 

[Pete53]

Some neighbors complained I fly my drone from my backyard. The officer was very nice and embarrassed but told me even though it’s not his jurisdiction as drone flying is FAA, he wanted to inform me that they were complaining about their privacy etc. Their complaint was they were concerned on how can I control it so high. I explained to the officer that it’s ok in the US under 400 feet and the max height I fly is under 390 feet. Just sad that people are so paranoid. He tells me they email him when I fly etc. I think it’s the same two nosy neighbors that always complain about everything. Ugggg, get a life please!! Leave me be.

How about offering your neighbors FREE annual roof inspection videos? Unfortunately, some folks just don't like drones and there's little you can do to change their minds. I've learned, the best places to fly are locations where there are few people, if any.

 

[OneDoesNotSimply]

You could ask them if they are interested in a free picture of their house from the drone. May pay dividends and worth a try. Good luck.

Yeah, tell them you already have quite a few on your computer from various angles, so it would be no bother for you

 

[Dabrain]

Actually that is wrong, disorderly conduct is ANYTHING that interferes with your neighbor's way of life. So basically anything you, me or our neighbors complain about falls under this. If they ask you to stop and you keep doing it they can come back and charge you with persistent disorderly conduct if they complain again. The best course of action is to simply respect others. I know it seems trivial to you but it isn't to them. Just like loud music may seem trivial to your neighbor but annoys you.

Just because they complain doesn't make your behavior disorderly. Their complaining is disorderly conduct more so under your logic.

 

[Drone on]

Huh? The officer has no right whatsoever to tell him to stop. He’s not breaking the law.

then why go by his house? There's no way the offices could know he had donuts for breakfast

 

[G Saunders]

Ha, My neighbor called to complain that I was peeping into his house and being a nuisance with my drone, after a five minute flight where I never got close to his property.

The responding officer showed up with citation #s for peeping and being a nuisance, asked to see my registration, was pleased I had it, then looked at my video and logs from the flight and saw no peeping or nuisance,. He went to tell my complaining neighbor _he_ could be cited for making a false report and to leave me alone.

He also suggested I fly in empty parks or school yards to avoid complaints and rattled off a list of several close by...

 

[Dabrain]

Well, there is the area of law called "nuisance law" but that would depend on jurisdiction or be entirely a civil matter.

Doesn't apply in this case.

 

[unionglzr]

Actually that is wrong, disorderly conduct is ANYTHING that interferes with your neighbor's way of life. So basically anything you, me or our neighbors complain about falls under this. If they ask you to stop and you keep doing it they can come back and charge you with persistent disorderly conduct if they complain again. The best course of action is to simply respect others. I know it seems trivial to you but it isn't to them. Just like loud music may seem trivial to your neighbor but annoys you.

 

[747P4]

Yeah, tell them you already have quite a few on your computer from various angles, so it would be no bother for you

If you could see the look on their faces when the OP showed them the pictures, that would be priceless but did he stay at a Holiday Inn Express the previous night

 

[fmkowens]

This statement: "At the moment, there is no max altitude for hobbyists." is not accurate/precise. The allowable height for an aircraft, manned or not, is regulated by the FAA based on the airspace designation. You can fly your drone as a hobbyist, under FAA rules, which includes following airspace rules and following the common sense rules related to privacy and noise. My personal experience has been to show my drone to my neighbors and explain what I am doing and have never had a problem. I also call the local regional airport control tower every time before I fly and I have checked with local agencies to be up-to-date on any other flight restrictions.

The local police will also respond to calls in an effort to prevent neighbors from escalating a minor annoyance into a regrettable/avoidable incident. I would suggest making a small/minor effort to talk about and/or demonstrate your drone with your neighbors would be advisable.