The San Francisco Police Department released a video showing how they have just started using drones for LE activities,
SFPD & Drones 2024
- Thread starter anotherlab
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It always starts out this way: capture the bad guy in the process of committing crimes. Be sure to watch it at the end when the Chief explains what the drones are *really* going to be used for and don't forget, there's always the unmentioned uses which they are really excited about. Hmmm, DJI drones at a US government agency? 
Edit: Instead of saying "US government agency" I will say "American government agency within the US." That way nobody confused them with CBP, FBI, or FAA law enforcement officers.
Cali needs MORE statewide drone legislation for government agencies NOW before it is too late.
Here's some of the other side of the coin: and
Edit: Instead of saying "US government agency" I will say "American government agency within the US." That way nobody confused them with CBP, FBI, or FAA law enforcement officers.
Cali needs MORE statewide drone legislation for government agencies NOW before it is too late.
Here's some of the other side of the coin: and
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Last time I checked, SFPD was not part of the US government.It always starts out this way: capture the bad guy in the process of committing crimes. Be sure to watch it at the end when the Chief explains what the drones are *really* going to be used for and don't forget, there's always the unmentioned uses which they are really excited about. Hmmm, DJI drones at a US government agency?
Cali needs MORE statewide drone legislation for government agencies NOW before it is too late.
Also, I totally agree we need to stop the police from fighting crime with these drones! I mean who actually wants to be able to go into the city and be able to take pictures, walk around, or park your car without having to worry you're going to be able to leave with everything you got there with? *sarcasm*
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of nice areas of San Francisco but there are areas where it's dangerous. I have personally had my window of my car smashed and lost thousands of dollars worth of camera gear on a SF street in the 5 minutes it took to step away from the car and grab a to go coffee. This was 10 years ago, and it's only gotten worse. Take a look at this (and many many other similar stories) :
This is What Happens to the Stolen Cameras in San Francisco
Sold in broad daylight within hours of being stolen.
petapixel.com
I won't fly alone because I I feel I can't keep the right amount of situational awareness of the people around me while flying. I see countless reports of smash and grab on SF streets, and anything that can be done to help slow this down is good in my opinion. You can't even go to Twin Peaks and take pictures of the city views because there is an *ACTUAL* danger you'll be robbed (Yes I emphasized actual because the real danger of being robbed far outweighs any chicken little sky is falling thoughts about SFPD drones.) SFPD having drones is a great thing.
Ok I'll adjustment my statement to be more clear about what I am saying. I honestly didn't believe I needed to be that precise because I thought *everybody* by now pretty much knew that the SFPD was not a federal law enforcement agency. But I guess apparently not and I should have known I would get nitpicked. Instead of saying "US government agency" I will say "American government agency within the US." That way nobody confused them with CBP, FBI, or FAA law enforcement officers although it really has no context in this discussion because....
The point I'm making is not only the US Federal government has prohibited the use of Chinese drones by their federal employees and agencies but also so many state and local government have done so as well. Apparently not SF. It's kinda strange that it would appear they went out and bought Chinese drones knowing what the federal government and other state and local agencies think about Chinese drones.
Sorry for you loss. Just like you, I and millions of other Americas have had crimes committed against us and in particular, have had our property damaged, stolen, or molested. It's not a great feeling and I welcome anything reasonable, realistic and legal and productive that can be done to help prevent it from happening to the next person. Unfortunately I'm not yet ready to suspend the Constitution in SF, decrease my power and give more power to the government, and/or go overboard to address the problems with window-dressing. If drones will be used to "fight crime" I'm all for that. Anything else, not so much. Do you agree?Also, I totally agree we need to stop the police from fighting crime with these drones! I mean who actually wants to be able to go into the city and be able to take pictures, walk around, or park your car without having to worry you're going to be able to leave with everything you got there with? *sarcasm*
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of nice areas of San Francisco but there are areas where it's dangerous. I have personally had my window of my car smashed and lost thousands of dollars worth of camera gear on a SF street in the 5 minutes it took to step away from the car and grab a to go coffee. This was 10 years ago, and it's only gotten worse. Take a look at this (and many many other similar stories) :
This is What Happens to the Stolen Cameras in San Francisco
Sold in broad daylight within hours of being stolen.
I won't fly alone because I I feel I can't keep the right amount of situational awareness of the people around me while flying. I see countless reports of smash and grab on SF streets, and anything that can be done to help slow this down is good in my opinion. You can't even go to Twin Peaks and take pictures of the city views because there is an *ACTUAL* danger you'll be robbed (Yes I emphasized actual because the real danger of being robbed far outweighs any chicken little sky is falling thoughts about SFPD drones.) SFPD having drones is a great thing.
I agree with you that (as far as I know) there is no current law forbidding the city of San Francisco from buying Chinese made drones. Thanks for clarifying your statement. It did look like you were saying the US government was trying to enforce their ban on other agencies. As for as I know, plenty of local law enforcement agencies and other first responders are currently using Chinese made drones. The federal law does nothing to stop this (as of right now.)
Can't really agree with what you are saying because I don't have a clue what you're talking about. What part of the Constitution are you alleging was suspended in SF? Unsubstantiated fear mongering is extremely harmful to our hobby and to the commercial use of drones.
Plenty of cities, county, and other agencies have helicopter programs but San Francisco does not. A much cheaper alternative, a drone program, seems like a great idea to me.
Outside the federal government who can only tell federal agencies and employees what they can and cannot do, only a handful of state and local government have adopted drone bans. However, if you are a state or local agency and you want to do business with the federal government, you may have to obey some of their rules if you want federal money. SF has already been good with spending taxpayers money so they probably don't have an issue with buy drones that they one day may not be able to use. My advice to any state or local government agency located in the usa is check and double-check before you start up an expensive, long term drone fleet consisting of chinese-made drones (until the dust settles).
Did you watch the two videos I posted? Can't comment on any more than that other than to provide you with a quote: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
SF and Cali have no problem spending your money, this is not an excuse. They want drones for other reasons, not because they are "cheaper."
My take is if there is hard factual evidence that having a drone program is making things safer (which seems to be the case from what I'm seeing,) that's something that can be used to show that we need to keep these programs.
I did, I still have no clue what you're on about. What exactly are you alleging?
SF and Cali have no problem spending your money, this is not an excuse. They want drones for other reasons, not because they are "cheaper."
I'll repeat my question. What exactly is it that you're alleging? What are these 'other reasons' only you seem to know that nobody else does? I'm seeing a lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) but no actual issues.
No worries, ok I'll check back next year and we'll see if crime in SF improves like it has in NYC when they got their drones. /s
Not sure I can add any more of my opinions to what the advocates have already suggested, I'll check back with SF after they've had their drones for one or two years and sadly, they'll be reporting the same "issues" with drones that others have encountered because that is what we do best in this country, learn things the "hard way." I remember when helicopters used to be the answer to crime....
To be honest, if drones actually initially decrease your crime and the city gets even more drones like they plan to, what exactly do you think they'll do with those extra drones? Continue to decrease crime even further? I don't think I would want to live in a city where "drones" are cracking down on your high crimes rates....that can't be a good thing.
C'mon Chief Smith, are you kidding? They can't even keep a straight face when they say it!
I think you are confusing "liberty" with "privacy".
If you are out in public, you are no longer private. Using drones for surveillance is no different than the police using license place scanners, toll tag tracking, or traffic cameras. Or with a warrant, phone, and credit card records.
We had a horrible murder in our town a few years back where a college student came home and brutally killed his father and maimed his mother. His alibi was that he was more than 4 hours at his college. His EZ Tag toll transponder placed him in town at the time of the attack. These tools work.
Are you joking? I'm not confusing anything, it's not my quote. Do you realize who you are calling "confused?"
Of course it is. And we'll prove it.
Sorry to hear about about the murder. The People are still not convinced enough to give the authorities free reign to use these "tools."
It was you who incorrectly used the quote applying it to something unrelated.
You seem to have an anti-law enforcement bent and it results in you posting a lot of nonsense like this..Do you realize who you are calling "confused?"
Going by your posting in this thread, I'd say he was correct.
Of course it is. And we'll prove it.
Sorry to hear about about the murder. The People are still not convinced enough to give the authorities free reign to use these "tools."
Riteguy
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I was able to see Anaheim Police Departments drone force displayed at a local event and they are having great success. In the case of serving warrants, when the victim sees the drone circling the house, they simply give up to officers outside. They also use DJI without hesitation. When looking at other manufacturers, DJI has the best drone for the dollar and no one else even compares. They have at lease one of DJI's commercial enterprise drones, but also use the Mavic 3's as well, and it has everything to do with cost.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
You seem to seriously misunderstand Franklin's wise, pithy statement.
What essential Liberty have I given up by accepting police use of drones?
How about 2-way radios? Automobiles? Manned aircraft?
Flashlights?
While it is certainly possible for drones to be abused/misused by corrupt police personnel, isolated cases of misuse do not represent a loss of freedom to society as a whole.
As with every new tool used by law enforcement, from the start there are rules to protect your rights, and over time these rules evolve and are refined to improve that protection.
I've seen many new tools and technologies brought into use by law enforcement over my 45 years as an adult. One of the biggest is the computer. I am as free as I ever was, and law enforcement has greatly enhanced their ability to do their job with computers, cellphones, smartphones, tasers, kevlar vests, gunshot sound analysis systems, and tons more.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
Are you joking? I'm not confusing anything, it's not my quote. Do you realize who you are calling "confused?"
No joke... it doesn't have to be your quote for you to be confused about it. Which is clearly the case.
Droning on and on...
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Helping out @anotherlab a smidgen, which I'm pretty sure he won't mind, using a drone to surveil people in public is not qualitatively different from doing the same with a camera from different floors in a building, something with certainty is going on somewhere in the US right now.
A drone is just easier, not any more compromising of anyone's "privacy" while in public.
A drone is just easier, not any more compromising of anyone's "privacy" while in public.
Awesome. Using drones successfully must be exciting to see them working so effectively and decisively; doing things the police were previously unable to do without using force. Why stop there? Perhaps when the next time those pesky protestors come out to redress their grievances with their government, Anaheim city hall won't let them drone fleet go to waste and can deploy their magical drones and the protestors will simply give up and go home seeking other more peaceful (and less effective) ways to make their views known without making others in the community uncomfortable. Too bad the king didn't have drones to tamp down on those nuisance colonists constantly begging to be "represented" and taxed less. With drones, sounds like the citizens will just know better than to challenge the authority in the first place.
And if circling drones don't work, time to step it up to taking their pictures and perhaps following them home. No law against that? Ultimately we can take the tax money and pay for facial recognition so we can keep track of and catalog the outsiders and agitators so we can take action later. Add them to a database; keep a list. One day (maybe not in our lifetime) we'll get there, drone will have "defensive" weapons because the people never bothered to lessons learned. Here we go.
What a load of nonsense.
I wonder why you consistently rail against police??
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