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IPFS News Link • Surveillance

Drones: Police To Use Technology Tested In Iraq and Afghanistan

• washingtonpost.com/
 
"Most people are not okay with constant watching. That hover-and-stare capability used to its maximum potential will probably ruffle a lot of civic feathers." At least one community has already balked at the prospect of unmanned aircraft. The Houston Police Department considered participating in a pilot program to study the use of drones, including for evacuations, search and rescue, and tactical operations. In the end, it withdrew. A spokesman for Houston police said the department would not comment on why the program, to have been run in cooperation with the FAA, was aborted in 2007, but traffic tickets might have had something to do with it. When KPRC-TV in Houston, which is owned by The Washington Post Co., discovered a secret drone air show for dozens of officers at a remote location 70 miles from Houston, police officials were forced to call a hasty news conference to explain their interest in the technology. A senior officer in Houston then mentioned to reporters that drones might ultimately be used for recording traffic violations. Federal officials said support for the program crashed.

www.universityofreason.com/a/29887/KWADzukm