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intheflow

(30,179 posts)
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:25 AM Feb 2013

Fugitive alleged LAPD-killer is first drone target on U.S. soil

Source: MSN.com

It's official: The drone war has come home to America. Wanted fugitive Christopher Dorner, the homicidal former cop currently at war with the LAPD, has become the first known human target for airborne drones on U.S. soil. Their use was confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed the government's fear that Dorner will make a dash for the Mexican border. The fugitive has already killed three people, according to police, and has a $1 million bounty on his head. Dorner, who has military training, is believed to be hiding in the wilderness of California's San Bernardino Mountains, where locating him without air support may be all but impossible.

Read more: http://now.msn.com/christopher-dorner-is-first-drone-target-on-us-soil



Slippery slope is rapidly becoming a full mudslide.
94 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Fugitive alleged LAPD-killer is first drone target on U.S. soil (Original Post) intheflow Feb 2013 OP
They are using drones as a search tool Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #1
So they say. razorman Feb 2013 #8
And so I say. Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #9
I'm not one for paranoia thats my dads area but... PatrynXX Feb 2013 #46
well heaven05 Feb 2013 #83
Yes... but... Veri1138 Feb 2013 #21
It's difficult for me to respond to trolls Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #24
Can I Play? SCVDem Feb 2013 #35
OMG. freshwest Feb 2013 #45
actually I'm thinking your a troll PatrynXX Feb 2013 #47
You kid now but one day there will be another pub in the WH and it will get that much worse. Ash_F Feb 2013 #49
I always love it when someone who has been here for such a short time starts calling 1monster Feb 2013 #56
x2 AnotherMcIntosh Feb 2013 #66
Yes. n/t intheflow Feb 2013 #68
People with under 1,000 posts should never accuse anyone of trolling Ter Feb 2013 #67
D'oh! MynameisBlarney Feb 2013 #77
This is how militarization enters the 'civilian' world nt duhneece Feb 2013 #61
And then Skynet goes live Capt. Obvious Feb 2013 #84
Not 1st time. He's NOT a human target, drone is UNARMED. Thermal imaging cameras are on the drone. Tx4obama Feb 2013 #2
Agreed the MSN headline is inaccurate, but intheflow Feb 2013 #11
Thank you. I think we need a vaccination against media misinformation and hysteria. underthematrix Feb 2013 #12
Why, we'll just... Veri1138 Feb 2013 #22
He's executing people in the US with unarmed drones? jeff47 Feb 2013 #40
Veri1138 Diclotican Feb 2013 #65
I remember when Chavez announced "unarmed drones" and people here were defending him. joshcryer Feb 2013 #90
I remember Tim building his drone for OWS NYC livestream and SeaShephard's following whalers. freshwest Feb 2013 #92
Not Even Accurate DarthDem Feb 2013 #3
Thats what drones in Pakistan started out as. HooptieWagon Feb 2013 #79
The article implied two possibilities Gore1FL Feb 2013 #4
Yup. Nobody could have expected this turn of events. Warren Stupidity Feb 2013 #5
It would be huge if they used a drone to 'take him out', indeed. I don't think they are that stupid Purveyor Feb 2013 #6
yep. I can see how this could seem like stupid when the target underthematrix Feb 2013 #13
So you are good with armed drones patrolling the skies over US soil? eom Purveyor Feb 2013 #16
Already have armed helicopters cartach Feb 2013 #29
He's not going to be making a "dash for the Mexican border" from the San Bernardino Mountains! George II Feb 2013 #7
That was quick! another_liberal Feb 2013 #10
They just want to capture him Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #14
I wonder if he and Alex will join forces over this. freshwest Feb 2013 #48
why are there such confident proclamations about what won't be done? Divine Discontent Feb 2013 #15
Because we understand Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #17
What if Obama calls him a terrorist? RobertEarl Feb 2013 #19
Post removed Post removed Feb 2013 #20
Ok, yeah, Obama is cool RobertEarl Feb 2013 #25
So post us a copy of these "rules as proposed" Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #26
NDAA RobertEarl Feb 2013 #36
good job responding, so I didn't have to. you made good points. Divine Discontent Feb 2013 #91
you understand nothing. bubbayugga Feb 2013 #32
Well, it's hard to argue with Mr.Bill Feb 2013 #33
If you actually believe what you just wrote, there's probably no point arguing with you. bubbayugga Feb 2013 #44
And you "understand" that, how? marble falls Feb 2013 #63
Police helicopters are military scout helicopters with the missile racks removed jeff47 Feb 2013 #39
Fox News and Rush Limbaugh...... Grassy Knoll Feb 2013 #18
So what's the difference between this unmanned drone and a police helicopter? Gman Feb 2013 #23
No, the low information "Creative Speculators" on this site intaglio Feb 2013 #38
Um. All of those are, as a class, drones. Occulus Feb 2013 #58
How is an unarmed drone a greater threat to liberty than geek tragedy Feb 2013 #60
Your response demonstrates how. Occulus Feb 2013 #62
Yes, disagreement with you is problematic. It is very disturbing that your profound geek tragedy Feb 2013 #64
I'd show more respect for your opinion if intaglio Feb 2013 #82
Could you clarify your first sentence, please? Occulus Feb 2013 #86
i call bullshit. veganlush Feb 2013 #27
+1 BainsBane Feb 2013 #34
There are loads of "drones" out there - if you are paranoid intaglio Feb 2013 #42
They can't properly identify him or his car while on the ground and reasonably up close, but Lionessa Feb 2013 #28
Even quicker than I expected (n/t) a2liberal Feb 2013 #30
This is most certainly not the first time an unarmed drone has been used to locate a fugitive ButterflyBlood Feb 2013 #31
Although if taken out at a remote location, intheflow Feb 2013 #69
Drone is a misleading term for an RPV SCVDem Feb 2013 #37
First they came for......... Smilo Feb 2013 #41
We've had drones patrolling the border for years. bhikkhu Feb 2013 #43
My brother is an LAPD officer, so I applaud this move. Sorry, but this type of threat requires SoCalDemGrrl Feb 2013 #50
This message was self-deleted by its author Iggo Feb 2013 #70
Even though these drones are not armed (YET), police should never be judge, jury, and executioner. Occulus Feb 2013 #87
Threads like this make me wonder whether "Drones!" isn't the kooky "Black helicopters!" of the Left alcibiades_mystery Feb 2013 #51
seriously renegade000 Feb 2013 #52
+33 jberryhill Feb 2013 #55
I dunno but DRONES! The Musical could be fun OriginalGeek Feb 2013 #85
I highly doubt he is still in Big Bear/Arrowbear(head) Socal31 Feb 2013 #53
Firewatch SCVDem Feb 2013 #71
I guess it would be more moral to have cliffordu Feb 2013 #54
MSN quotes British paper Express quoting unnamed "senior police source" as saying "... thermal struggle4progress Feb 2013 #57
Dronez are the new black helicopters geek tragedy Feb 2013 #59
Time on station SCVDem Feb 2013 #72
Those are all reasons why the drones are a superior thing to use geek tragedy Feb 2013 #73
Wasn't that shot in the intro of SWAT? SCVDem Feb 2013 #74
I can't substantiate it, but constant copter flyovers have to geek tragedy Feb 2013 #75
Since the humans can't figure out whom to shoot riqster Feb 2013 #76
What's a drone without collateral damage? Remmah2 Feb 2013 #78
I agree, it is becoming a mudslide. Uncle Joe Feb 2013 #80
no BIG surprise. heaven05 Feb 2013 #81
Let the frog-boiling begin!!! U4ikLefty Feb 2013 #88
I heard that on MSNBC over the weekend - the suggestion anyway. calimary Feb 2013 #89
LAPD chief Beck today called Dorner a "domestic terrorist". Fire Walk With Me Feb 2013 #93
Good. n/t Lil Missy Feb 2013 #94

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
1. They are using drones as a search tool
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:32 AM
Feb 2013

Law enforcement agencies have been doing this for years. They are not going to fire drone-based weapons to kill him.

PatrynXX

(5,668 posts)
46. I'm not one for paranoia thats my dads area but...
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:04 AM
Feb 2013

so it starts. Drones outside the USA just fine. Drones inside the USA. not good. don't suppose you watched Blue Thunder. Fictional. But the original basis for the item was crowd control so yes it starts..

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
83. well
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:50 PM
Feb 2013

your position is not a stretch. It definitely is within the realm of action by our law enforcement 'authorities'.

 

Veri1138

(61 posts)
21. Yes... but...
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:31 AM
Feb 2013

This is how it usually starts. Step-by-step, until one day... armed drones over American skies.

There is already a discussion of arming drones with "non-lethal" munitions occurring in the law enforcement community. From there, it is a couple of years and next thing you know... you just got a Hellfire dropped on you.

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
24. It's difficult for me to respond to trolls
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:36 AM
Feb 2013

because they monitor our internet traffic here at the FEMA concentration camp.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
35. Can I Play?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:21 AM
Feb 2013

Then Skynet comes on line and the drones nuke the world!

We will not shoot at anyone with a drone since there is no point. Police are pretty much just half hour away.

Ash_F

(5,861 posts)
49. You kid now but one day there will be another pub in the WH and it will get that much worse.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:17 AM
Feb 2013

Personally I don't mind drone technology. The problem is killing without due process in what is not a war, but a game of bloody political domination. Drones just make it cheaper and easier, not just economically and strategically, but politically. But that's a subject for another thread.

I say use the infrared drones to find him. Someone is likely to get shot if they try to track him on foot.

1monster

(11,045 posts)
56. I always love it when someone who has been here for such a short time starts calling
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 07:06 AM
Feb 2013

others "trolls" for having reservations about questionable tactics by our government...

 

Ter

(4,281 posts)
67. People with under 1,000 posts should never accuse anyone of trolling
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 11:38 AM
Feb 2013

The NDAA is real.

MynameisBlarney

(2,979 posts)
77. D'oh!
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:57 PM
Feb 2013

But what if the person they're referring to has only 2 posts?



I'm asking for a friend...yeah, that's the ticket. A friend.

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)
2. Not 1st time. He's NOT a human target, drone is UNARMED. Thermal imaging cameras are on the drone.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:33 AM
Feb 2013


Christopher Dorner, the ex-LAPD cop who allegedly killed three people has been on the run, successfully evading police, for over a week. To finally track him down, it seems that law enforcement is pulling out all the stops. According to the Express, Dorner is now a target for drones, among the first ever on U.S. soil.

The Express quotes a "senior police source" as having said:

The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.


Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, a joint leader of the force tasked with finding Dorner, has confirmed—though not explicitly—and is quoted as saying "We are using all the tools at our disposal." And a third, vague conformation comes from Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio who is quoted as saying the agency is on the "forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement," while declining to elaborate further.

It wouldn't be the first time drones have ever been involved in a law enforcement operation in the U.S. As early as 2011 there was an incident in which Predator drones hunted down fugitives and directly lead to their ultimate arrest. ....

-snip-

http://gizmodo.com/5983175


intheflow

(30,179 posts)
11. Agreed the MSN headline is inaccurate, but
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:44 AM
Feb 2013

given both the carnage Dorner has wrought and the blatant and disturbing lack of judgement being shown daily by the LAPD in this manhunt, I still remain highly skeptical about those drones going up unarmed. Even your link acknowledges we're presuming the drones are unarmed. So I'm bracing myself for a perfect storm, though of course I hope it doesn't manifest.

underthematrix

(5,811 posts)
12. Thank you. I think we need a vaccination against media misinformation and hysteria.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:48 AM
Feb 2013

The US has been using heating seeking drones in the drug war for at least a couple of decades. These are as you said UNARAMED drones. With that said, I think law enforcement needs to take whatever action necessary to neutralize the target. He has already killed one law enforcement officer.

 

Veri1138

(61 posts)
22. Why, we'll just...
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:33 AM
Feb 2013

scrap the 4th Amendment for you. And renege on one of the most basic tenants of a civilized society, jury trial, and return to vigilante-ism.

It is, after all, what you are basically calling for. How very civilized of you.

Oh, wait. Obama is already exercising the right of Kings... that of summary execution.

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
40. He's executing people in the US with unarmed drones?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:41 AM
Feb 2013

How exactly? Carbon monoxide poisoning?

Diclotican

(5,095 posts)
65. Veri1138
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 10:14 AM
Feb 2013

Veri1138

"Oh, wait. Obama is already exercising the right of Kings... that of summary execution"

No king in modern time - at least since 1800, have had the right to summary execution of anyone he dislike - in fact, modern kings in most of the world, are symbolic head of states - who have few "rights" outside of what the constitution says - or what the Parliament want them to have.. They even have to play taxes in most cases.....

You might try to read yourself up on modern monarchy before you continue to claim that type of ideas..

I would say - in some way, the Presidency of the US, is far more Imperial than most modern monarchy today.. (The kingdoms of the Middle east and some few ones who are in Asia and in Africa is not in the same way as modern European monarchy)

Diclotican

joshcryer

(62,536 posts)
90. I remember when Chavez announced "unarmed drones" and people here were defending him.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 06:04 PM
Feb 2013

This is amusing to say the least.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
92. I remember Tim building his drone for OWS NYC livestream and SeaShephard's following whalers.
Tue Feb 12, 2013, 02:59 AM
Feb 2013

I don't care for all this stuff... but learned in the 1960s how the CIA could see your face from their spy satellites and how Echelon was monitoring all forms of communication since then and before.

These things percolate into the news and media and people act like it's never ever happened and they are the first to know. Naturally, if one doesn't know the history and turns a blind eye to just how many thousands of people are working in this field and have been for years, not just the evil gummit, they're freaked out.

The movie imagery is repeatedly used by the alternative media to fearmonger and keep people buying guns, ammo, gold and emergency rations. And to keep coming back daily with hearts thumping in anxiety for the big bad EOTWAWKI event that never quite hits.

The next news tibit happens and they gin it up again with screams of how it's all a false flag and they really are gonna come and get us now! You know, 'them,' the black helicopters, drones are the Redux. They have cried wolf way too often to be credible and some of the chief sellers of this also sold people on Y2K EOTW and made a mint off them.

And it's always the evil gummit, does anyone wonder why the JBS is in with them, along with Paulites and baggers? How about the UN? Are they the enemy?

In the meantime the same people who are changing our society with technology are not going to stop doing it - because we want it. In other words, 'We built it.' Everytime we use the technology we love, we add to the global grid of information we claim we hate.

We sign up for everything that comes down the pike and suddenly want to change the rules we agreed to as if we didn't know what it meant. We wail and stomp our feet and say, 'This far, no further! You be monsters!'

Human technology since the atomic bomb and probably before that makes its own rules that laws and regulations can't keep up with. We demand from those who sell these things, more and more.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry can make a drone now. There are news stories about people are making drones and flying them above other people's places, too. That's not the evil gummit! It's us!

The guy who did so many livesteams, he had his own channel named TimCast, he made a drone to fly in NYC. But no one screamed 'Big Brother' and 'Police State' over that.

Who called for Sea Shepherd to stop flying their drones to keep up with the Japanese whaling fleet so they could find and harrass them? Wasn't that cheered?

Who's kidding who here?

DarthDem

(5,462 posts)
3. Not Even Accurate
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:35 AM
Feb 2013

And how many times does this has to be explained? The drones ARE UNARMED. REPEAT, UNARMED. They are unmanned, aerial surveillance platforms.

Gore1FL

(22,951 posts)
4. The article implied two possibilities
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:35 AM
Feb 2013

1> Dorner is targeted with weapons so that he may be killed.

2> Dorner is targeted for reconnaissance so that he may be located and arrested


The 1st was implied but never stated it specifically. It's source, however, called it a "spy mission."

I don't take too much of an issue with using drones, helicopters, or whatever as recon in a manhunt of someone this dangerous.

 

Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
6. It would be huge if they used a drone to 'take him out', indeed. I don't think they are that stupid
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:36 AM
Feb 2013

but I'm witnessing new levels of 'stupid' everyday when it comes to 'our' gov't.

underthematrix

(5,811 posts)
13. yep. I can see how this could seem like stupid when the target
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:49 AM
Feb 2013

is not in your neck of the woods.

cartach

(511 posts)
29. Already have armed helicopters
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:06 AM
Feb 2013

patrolling the skies over US soil as required. What's really the difference? Drones are ultimately under the control of human beings. Much ado about nothing!

George II

(67,782 posts)
7. He's not going to be making a "dash for the Mexican border" from the San Bernardino Mountains!
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:36 AM
Feb 2013

Spurious speculation - the "it's official" proclamation is pure uncorroborated speculation.

He's not a drone "target" whatsoever.

 

another_liberal

(8,821 posts)
10. That was quick!
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:43 AM
Feb 2013

It's just a matter of time (and not much time either) until they hang a Hellfire under each wing and go hunting for real. That was quick!

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
14. They just want to capture him
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:50 AM
Feb 2013

so they can put him in a FEMA concentration camp.
I'm sure Glen Beck will have the whole story for us tomorrow.

Divine Discontent

(21,057 posts)
15. why are there such confident proclamations about what won't be done?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:57 AM
Feb 2013

lol.... history scoffs at you.

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
17. Because we understand
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:04 AM
Feb 2013

that law enforcement agencies are not in posession of armed drones used to kill fugitives.

And the military will not loan them out for this purpose.

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
19. What if Obama calls him a terrorist?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:26 AM
Feb 2013

Somebody would be dead meat then, eh?

Hope here is they catch him alive and too weak to fight arrest.

Still, if the POTUS wants to, he can, right?

Response to RobertEarl (Reply #19)

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
25. Ok, yeah, Obama is cool
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:51 AM
Feb 2013

But what if George Bush was still in office? Reagan? What happens if another puke makes it in?

And there is nothing in the rules as proposed that distinguishes whether an American is here or there if the POTUS wants him taken out.

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
36. NDAA
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:26 AM
Feb 2013

Obama said he wouldn't enforce NDAA. But it is law. You do know that, right?

You do know some A. citizens have already been taken out, right? One just a kid, right?

What is your point? That drones would never be misused?

 

bubbayugga

(222 posts)
44. If you actually believe what you just wrote, there's probably no point arguing with you.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:53 AM
Feb 2013

The drones used over US skies are the same drones used in Afghanistan and they're operated by the same people and they very likely will be armed eventually. Why wouldn't they be after all? Posse Comitatus is a thing of the past. The DHS and the patriot act is the present and the future. It's a brave new world.

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
39. Police helicopters are military scout helicopters with the missile racks removed
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:38 AM
Feb 2013

We've got 50 years of armed military technology in unarmed police use.

If the police are so excited to fire missiles, how come they haven't yet? All they have to do is ask Bell to leave the missile racks on.

Grassy Knoll

(10,118 posts)
18. Fox News and Rush Limbaugh......
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:24 AM
Feb 2013

Will spin this to misinform their low information voters, and cause mass hysteria,
and not mention these are unarmed drones, used for surveillance.

Gman

(24,780 posts)
23. So what's the difference between this unmanned drone and a police helicopter?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:34 AM
Feb 2013

It's an airplane rather than a helicopter? What's the difference?

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
38. No, the low information "Creative Speculators" on this site
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:33 AM
Feb 2013

use the word "drone" for any unmanned aerial vehicle from the Predator UAV used with weaponry outside the USA to tiny quad rotors and hexacopters that many private individuals buy from the internet. The small rotor vehicles can all be fitted with cheap cameras and most can be made fully autonomous.

Occulus

(20,599 posts)
58. Um. All of those are, as a class, drones.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 08:09 AM
Feb 2013

I don't know why you're calling the people accurately classifying those devices as 'drones' "low information creative speculators".

That's what they are. A 'drone' is any unmanned vehicle, particularly airborne ones.

I'm waiting for the Authoritarian Follower personality types here to cheer the eventual appearance of airborne microdrone swarms equipped with distributed processing and networking and optical pattern recognition software.

All the technology for that currently fictional surveillance wet dream currently exists. It's only a matter of cobbling it together.

You do realize that the danger of such to the Fourth Amendment- or more clearly, what's left of the Fourth Amendment- is greater, and more insidious, than actually arming the drones being used to hunt this guy down....

.... Don't you?

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
60. How is an unarmed drone a greater threat to liberty than
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 08:53 AM
Feb 2013

police helicopters?

This is getting into black helicopters levels of the crazy.

Occulus

(20,599 posts)
62. Your response demonstrates how.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 09:51 AM
Feb 2013

I don't expect you to het what I'm saying. In fact, I expect you to NOT get it.

No, really. Your failure to understand the point I'm making is part of my point. This is one of those times where the argument against, the very failure to recognize the problem, is itself part of the problem.

Maybe my sinus migraine brought on by this shitty-assed weather is making me more opaque than I should be. I'm going back to bed now.

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
64. Yes, disagreement with you is problematic. It is very disturbing that your profound
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 10:12 AM
Feb 2013

wisdom is not universally accepted as the gospel truth.

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
82. I'd show more respect for your opinion if
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:50 PM
Feb 2013

in previous responses you have indicated that you do not want legislation governing the use of these machines.

The real threat comes from elsewhere, as I posted on another thread

Now Google "Autonomous Hexacopter" and you'll find a lot of products such as this one the Eye 3 If you follow the text you will see it is pretty much self operating can be programmed to fly a route and had a payload of 5 - 10 lbs. So, for less than $1500 you, personally, can have a semi-autonomous aircraft with a live video feed.

Now let's make it really scary. A simple video camera weighs about 4oz, and a Kahr PM9 with magazine weighs 1lb add in 6 x 9mm rounds and a simple motor actuator to operate the trigger for an all up payload of less than 2lb and you would have your own, private armed UAV.

Hardly likely, I hear you say. except ...



You may not like it but some legal framework has to be established. Without that framework you would either have a free-for-all or else a total ban where even simple RC aircraft would become illegal

Occulus

(20,599 posts)
86. Could you clarify your first sentence, please?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 04:24 PM
Feb 2013

I don't believe I expressed any desire for a lack of governing legislation; if I did, that is certainly not what I intended! Allow me to make absolutely clear my own position: government application of these small airborne surveillance devices should be very strictly regulated in accordance with what remaining Fourth Amendment "rights" (scare quotes intended) we still have. An example (and obvious) necessary restriction would be a Federal prohibition on the addition of any weapon loadout when such devices are owned or used by local police departments.

As we can very obviously see from the incidents involving the Hispanic paper delivery ladies and the early surfer, arming these devices in any way and putting them in the hands of local police would be a Very Bad Idea for Everyone Nearby, and should be considered a legitimate issue for anyone with more than two neurons to rub together (not that that's you- see above for cavalier dismissals of such concerns as "the left's Black Helicopters" to see who exactly I'm speaking of).

For the obligatory pop-culture reference, I'm forcibly reminded of the flying security drones employed in "evil" Eureka during that show's final season. That they were employed by a supposedly "trustworthy" AI in that fictional universe does not comfort me when told that supposedly "trustworthy" humans are in control of the real thing.

Then there's the possibility of wireless hacking of the drones' command & control software (only a matter of time, if hacking history is taken into account), which is a whole different animal entirely. Considering the massive, inexcusable, and until very recently completely unknown security hole in the various Universal Plug and Play implementations present in 81 million devices connected to the internet, the possible hacking of these drones is itself a grave concern.

veganlush

(2,049 posts)
27. i call bullshit.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:57 AM
Feb 2013

Misleading post. Drones are being used for survelence and tracking, not weaponry

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
42. There are loads of "drones" out there - if you are paranoid
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:43 AM
Feb 2013

Some posters on this site refer to any UAV, including privately owned quad rotors and hexacoptors, as drones.

 

Lionessa

(3,894 posts)
28. They can't properly identify him or his car while on the ground and reasonably up close, but
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:57 AM
Feb 2013

they think they can handle a drone attack without a mistake????? OMFG. Exactly the type of situation that could go really wrong really fast. Furthermore, I seriously doubt the man is anywhere near where they are looking. He has had days to get away from that area and I imagine he was gone well before anyone found his truck or suspected he had been in the area.

On edit and further reading, I didn't realize they were currently unarmed drones, let's hope they stay that way as I have little faith in policing units in SoCal after recent events.

ButterflyBlood

(12,644 posts)
31. This is most certainly not the first time an unarmed drone has been used to locate a fugitive
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:12 AM
Feb 2013

Misleading headline and hubub about nothing.

I'd be willing to bet my car and every dollar in my bank account he will not be killed by a drone strike like the tin foilers in this thread are raving about. Just watch.

intheflow

(30,179 posts)
69. Although if taken out at a remote location,
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 12:15 PM
Feb 2013

no way to really know how they got him. Misleading headline aside, this would be a great way to test some technology and who among us would be the wiser for it?

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
37. Drone is a misleading term for an RPV
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:30 AM
Feb 2013

It's a remotely piloted vehicle.

In that regard it is no different than a helicopter with pilots.

There's not enough damage control if someone has a pic of missle laden drones over America.

It will not happen!

Smilo

(2,031 posts)
41. First they came for.........
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:42 AM
Feb 2013

while Dorner may be guilty of murder, calling in the drones to find him should send a shiver up American's backs. With this decision there is no doubt that some will see this as a "good" motive where Americans will be "guided" to accept the use of use of drones in American airspace against American citizens. Camel's nose in the tent - hell it is all but the hair on the tip of the camel's tail.

bhikkhu

(10,789 posts)
43. We've had drones patrolling the border for years.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:46 AM
Feb 2013

and police departments have been using drones in many cities for some time. Not without controversy, but its common. I don't see how a camera on an unmanned plane is qualitatively different from a camera in a manned plane or copter - both of which have been used for decades. Or a camera at an intersection, or department store, or wherever. I can go on google earth and see whether my trees need trimmed, or whether my deck needs straightened up.

There are some differences, of course, but it would be stupid for them not to use everything they have to find him.

A peaceful society of law-abiding citizens needs virtually no government, and the lightest hand in law enforcement. A society of half-baked gun-owners, nutjob ideologs, perpetually pumped-up on the conspiracy of the day, regularly killing themselves and others, more or less demands a strong hand.

SoCalDemGrrl

(839 posts)
50. My brother is an LAPD officer, so I applaud this move. Sorry, but this type of threat requires
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:32 AM
Feb 2013

extraordinary action.

My brother, his wife and 2 young children deserve to be protected against this type of threat.

His young son said yesterday " Dad this guy said he's going to kill us, am I safe??"

Well if a drone can take this maniac out and save all these families - then I say DO IT!!!!

Response to SoCalDemGrrl (Reply #50)

Occulus

(20,599 posts)
87. Even though these drones are not armed (YET), police should never be judge, jury, and executioner.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 04:57 PM
Feb 2013

Your brother's wife and their two young children, or any combination thereof, just might end up being collateral damage killed in the crossfire.

To put it simply, "friendly fire" isn't.

Yes, I would give the Devil the benefit of the law, for my own safety's sake!

Howling for the blood of the guilty, without trial, is beneath all of us, and you do our system of due process (and by extension, your brother and all of his own hard work) a serious injustice by doing so. He may as well resign, and join the Mob, if we adopt this bestial, brutal mentality.

I demand better. I demand restraint, due process, and the full and meticulous benefit of the law, even for those whose hands wear warm, crimson gloves. We all should, and we shall have it, or we have failed, both as individuals and as Americans.

(Just so you know, the logical fallacy of Appeal to Emotion and its dependent "think of the children" non-argument does not gain any traction with me. I will not be swayed by it.)



 

alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts)
51. Threads like this make me wonder whether "Drones!" isn't the kooky "Black helicopters!" of the Left
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:39 AM
Feb 2013

I mean truly.

The paranoid style in American politics, indeed.

OriginalGeek

(12,132 posts)
85. I dunno but DRONES! The Musical could be fun
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:52 PM
Feb 2013

with soon to be hit songs like "I'm Falling (from the sky) For You" and "It's Raining Hellfires" (Hallelujah It's Raining Hellfires...)

Socal31

(2,491 posts)
53. I highly doubt he is still in Big Bear/Arrowbear(head)
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 04:02 AM
Feb 2013

By the time anyone realized the significance of the burning truck, he was already down the mountain.

No non-CIA/military drones are equipped with Hellfires. I am extremely anti-drone on American soil except for monitoring the border and scanning the wilderness for lost hikers, poachers, or fugitives. Much cheaper than fueling a helicopter. Of course, the drone being unarmed in all of these scenarios.

Sensationalist headline. There are enough idiots in this country and world that actually will believe there is a Reaper flying over Big Bear Lake that will pick up a heat-signature and launch a $10,000.00 military missile into the forest.

The Dorner love is NOT a progressive principle. Not loving Dorner does not mean you kneel before the LAPD or large corrupt militaristic police departments.

I hope the OP has the self-respect to update the headline or at least clarify that the loaded word "target" is not only incorrect (drones already are deployed), but most low-information Americans will assume local PD actually has the same authority or ability as the DoD or CIA.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
71. Firewatch
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:12 PM
Feb 2013

Silent drones scanning the mountains for wildfires.

They would help prevent the massive burns we've had over the years.

Now, back to the Black Helicopters!

cliffordu

(30,994 posts)
54. I guess it would be more moral to have
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 04:36 AM
Feb 2013

a chopper with a crew of 4 or 6 in the air with the same thermal imaging equipment doing the searching.

for three hours at a time.

Then, we could send up another chopper with another crew to do the same thing all day and all night

After all Drones be BAD and door gunners be good.

struggle4progress

(126,147 posts)
57. MSN quotes British paper Express quoting unnamed "senior police source" as saying "... thermal
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 07:38 AM
Feb 2013

imaging cameras ... may be our only hope ..."

Fugitive alleged LAPD-killer is first drone target on U.S. soil


http://now.msn.com/christopher-dorner-is-first-drone-target-on-us-soil


Man hunt for ex-soldier who shot police chief's daughter and killed policeman
POLICE plan to use spy drones in the hunt for a Rambo-style ex-soldier and policeman who has murdered three people and vowed to kill again.

By: Mike Parker
Published: Sun, February 10, 2013
... A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”

The use of drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash for the Mexican border since his rampage began.

He said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment” ...

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/376732/Man-hunt-for-ex-soldier-who-shot-police-chief-s-daughter-and-killed-policeman

That's thin gruel
 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
59. Dronez are the new black helicopters
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 08:51 AM
Feb 2013

What's the difference in using an unarmed drone vs a helicopter in a search?

Answer: nothing, unless you're a media hack or paranoid whack job.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
72. Time on station
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:16 PM
Feb 2013

Low fuel use

Silent so suspect can't cover

Cheaper overall to tight budgets. We will need the money for fire season.

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
73. Those are all reasons why the drones are a superior thing to use
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:17 PM
Feb 2013

than a police helicopter, correct?

A police helicopter can also be lethal--just put a sniper on board.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
74. Wasn't that shot in the intro of SWAT?
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:23 PM
Feb 2013

Shooters hanging out the doors.

Another plus over a chopper is that the drone isn't blinded by a laser.

I would be thinking of blinding the pilot if I were in an escape and evasion situation.

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
75. I can't substantiate it, but constant copter flyovers have to
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:25 PM
Feb 2013

at some level traumatize residents of crime-heavy neighborhoods.

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
81. no BIG surprise.
Mon Feb 11, 2013, 03:46 PM
Feb 2013

I called it two days ago with a friend of mine. I said, "watch, they will be using drones for this guy." He paid me my hundred bucks. Just a joke but I wish I had bet him a beer at least.

 

Fire Walk With Me

(38,893 posts)
93. LAPD chief Beck today called Dorner a "domestic terrorist".
Tue Feb 12, 2013, 05:30 AM
Feb 2013

They are desperate to destroy him, they are frightened, and they are twisting terminology to justify the use of execution in any form they wish.

This is an exceedingly slippery slope, because FBI and DHS have already concluded the Occupy Wall Street movement are potential domestic terrorists, and we've seen how they treated the encampments and marches...

LAPD are already domestic terrorists. Ask LA people of color, the poor, the homeless.

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