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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to the Surveillance State
Posted by:
Thanks Libs!
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Date: October 17, 2017 11:16PM
Police Commission approves controversial year-long test of drones by LAPD
The Police Commission on Tuesday approved a year-long test of drones by the LAPD, allowing the police department to become the largest in the nation to try using the controversial devices.
The 3-1 vote was met by jeers from dozens of people who crowded the Police Commission’s meeting room, many of whom repeatedly urged the civilian oversight panel to reject the proposal.
“Shame on you!” some shouted. “Shame on you!”
That frustration spilled outside the LAPD’s downtown headquarters as protesters settled in the middle of 1st and Main streets, chanting and holding signs as they denounced the decision. Officers ultimately led four people away in handcuffs.
Drones have been hailed by law enforcement across the country as a valuable technology that could help find missing hikers or monitor armed suspects without jeopardizing the safety of officers. But efforts to deploy the unmanned aircraft have frequently drawn fierce criticism from privacy advocates and police critics, for whom the devices stir Orwellian visions of unwarranted surveillance or fears of weaponized drones patrolling the skies.
Advocates say the drones could help protect officers and others by using nonhuman eyes to collect crucial information during high-risk situations. Skeptics worry that use of the devices will steadily expand and include inappropriate — or illegal — surveillance. The LAPD’s harshest critics wanted the drone program scrapped before it even takes off.
LAPD brass have promised careful restrictions on their drones — or a “small Unmanned Aerial System,” in police speak. The Police Commission approved a set of rules limiting their use to a handful of tactical situations, searches or natural disasters. Each drone flight will be approved by a high-ranking officer on a case-by-case basis. Another rule is listed in bold: LAPD drones won’t be outfitted with any weapons, lethal or nonlethal.
The Police Commission on Tuesday approved a year-long test of drones by the LAPD, allowing the police department to become the largest in the nation to try using the controversial devices.
The 3-1 vote was met by jeers from dozens of people who crowded the Police Commission’s meeting room, many of whom repeatedly urged the civilian oversight panel to reject the proposal.
“Shame on you!” some shouted. “Shame on you!”
That frustration spilled outside the LAPD’s downtown headquarters as protesters settled in the middle of 1st and Main streets, chanting and holding signs as they denounced the decision. Officers ultimately led four people away in handcuffs.
Drones have been hailed by law enforcement across the country as a valuable technology that could help find missing hikers or monitor armed suspects without jeopardizing the safety of officers. But efforts to deploy the unmanned aircraft have frequently drawn fierce criticism from privacy advocates and police critics, for whom the devices stir Orwellian visions of unwarranted surveillance or fears of weaponized drones patrolling the skies.
Advocates say the drones could help protect officers and others by using nonhuman eyes to collect crucial information during high-risk situations. Skeptics worry that use of the devices will steadily expand and include inappropriate — or illegal — surveillance. The LAPD’s harshest critics wanted the drone program scrapped before it even takes off.
LAPD brass have promised careful restrictions on their drones — or a “small Unmanned Aerial System,” in police speak. The Police Commission approved a set of rules limiting their use to a handful of tactical situations, searches or natural disasters. Each drone flight will be approved by a high-ranking officer on a case-by-case basis. Another rule is listed in bold: LAPD drones won’t be outfitted with any weapons, lethal or nonlethal.
Re: Welcome to the Surveillance State
Posted by:
Old News
()
Date: October 17, 2017 11:18PM
Thanks for the breaking news about what cops have been using for years.