Montgomery County police hold public meeting on new plan to use drones as first responders

[Sirex]

Self Reminder; look for 12G drone chokes on Gunbroker

 

[Occam]

I'm super curious how this process would work. Like, 911 call, operator dispatches drone, drone flies to GPS coordinates at top speed? Can they handle power lines and other obstacles automagically now? If someone's hand-flying the drone, I question how fast it's getting there.

Apparently they've got flight times of 45 minutes or so, so that's probably enough to check out what's going on.

If I were given an FAA waiver to operate a drone beyond line of sight over a populated area like Montgomery County, especially in the DC no-fly zone where they are very much banned across the board without ultra magical powers, here's how I'd handle that:

Send the drone up to 200 feet (this takes mere seconds). That keeps you below the 400ft floor above which helicopters are required to fly over the same terrain. Then navigate to the address in question. Even cheap off the shelf drones can do that at close to 50mph if they don't have too much of a headwind. At that speed, a drone with 45 minutes of flight time could get to and linger over many, many spots in the county within easy range of a barracks (or wherever they'd launch from). Start descending to perhaps 100ft - an altitude from which even cheap over the counter drone cameras can optically zoom more than enough to get the general sense of the situation on the ground. This can all be done without the remote operator even having to get involved. Simple waypoint navigation, and you're well above power lines, etc. Off the shelf drones have decent obstacle avoidance if they have to get in closer.

Need to make use of most of that battery power without saving enough to fly back to base because something important does indeed seem to be going on? Just get the location of one of local cops who has theoretically rolled up during that half hour or so, and put down next to their cruiser to be collected. Hell, every cruiser could have a couple of topped-off drone batteries in the trunk so the machine can get back into action overhead.

People would be shocked at how fast and reliable these things are getting, even the consumer stuff. Drones built for more serious tasks/users can get pretty exotic pretty fast, and use things like cellular coms instead of having to have a good RF handshake with the traditional hand-held control unit and display.

I can think of dozens of benign, very constructive uses for this sort of thing. I can also think of lots of ways it can be abused. So just like all technology, it comes down to the ethical agency boundaries within which they're used, and the personal ethics of the people in the moment.

 

[Bob A]

I can think of dozens of benign, very constructive uses for this sort of thing. I can also think of lots of ways it can be abused. So just like all technology, it comes down to the ethical agency boundaries within which they're used, and the personal ethics of the people in the moment.

It seems to me that mankind in general has multiplied its advantages regarding use and misuse of force through technology, which has increased at a far faster rate than the responsible side of human nature.

It is within the realm of possibility that we weiil destroy our current level of civilisation and progress, if not the totality of the human race, through our inability to detect and suppress the more extreme forms of sociopathy that creates and informs our tribal leaders.

It's akin to giving a monkey a machine gun, but several orders of magnitude more destructive.

 

[kshaw]

A couple of these on a FPV drone could be used to bring down school shooters.

 

[kshaw]

I'm super curious how this process would work. Like, 911 call, operator dispatches drone, drone flies to GPS coordinates at top speed? Can they handle power lines and other obstacles automagically now? If someone's hand-flying the drone, I question how fast it's getting there.

Apparently they've got flight times of 45 minutes or so, so that's probably enough to check out what's going on.

I am a licensed drone operator and have a Mavic Air 2 which has collision avoidance. It will certainly work with trees, buildings, and such but cables and powerlines may be too small to detect. The system works pretty well and will detect and go around any obstacles it sees or can freeze in place waiting for the operator to redirect the drone. The FAA permits up to 100mph but you can get waivers for anything as needed. Most of the consumer grade drones will have speeds under 50mph. You can even get waivers to fly in the "drone no fly zone" but those waivers come directly from the FAA rather than LAANC and will take days to get, unless the FAA would streamline that for MOCO. Battery life will be an issue although I have seen a solar powered glider drone that did over 9 hours.

 

[Bob A]

Just deputise and arm the drones. AI is the future!

Also, drones don't require paychecks, mortgages, benefits and so on.

I figure we'll be there by 2030.

 

[Sunrise]

Here we go!

Montgomery County Council likely to greenlight Drone As First Responder program

The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones. Drones may be deployed after a 911 call to assess crimes.

moco360.media

The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones after the Public Safety and Government Operations committees voted unanimously to greenlight a new program after a work session Wednesday.

 

[Bob A]

Here we go!

Montgomery County Council likely to greenlight Drone As First Responder program

The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones. Drones may be deployed after a 911 call to assess crimes.

moco360.media

The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones after the Public Safety and Government Operations committees voted unanimously to greenlight a new program after a work session Wednesday.

How long before they're armed?

Probably come before MD gets Constitutional Carry.

 

[Sunrise]

How long before they're armed?

Probably come before MD gets Constitutional Carry.

Not long:

P365 Pistol-Armed Aerial Drone Put On Display By Sig Sauer

When asked why Sig Sauer went through the trouble of creating a drone with a P365 pistol, they said "Why wouldn't we?"

www.thedrive.com

 

[mpollan1]

And the drones have it. Unanimously approved by the Council of Drones...

911 I have an Emergency

 

[RFBfromDE]

“This is not surveillance. This is about reducing the response of police and using technology in the right way, which in my view is a good thing,” said councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez (D-Dist. 6). “I look forward to seeing this program implemented in my district.”

3-2-1... "drones are used in my district disproportionately!"

 

[welder516]

This will allow them to shoot more dogs in yards.

 

[ToolAA]

3-2-1... "drones are used in my district disproportionately!"

Absolutely will be an argument made by some. No different than the street light cameras or gunshot detection devices. They will be developed, deployed and improved in the areas of highest crime. Sounds like something we should be on board with. Common sense drone laws.

However, like everything else the state does, they will continually expand use, until we do have a ubiquitous drone surveillance apparatus everywhere. Companies will use the traffic camera model, to “give” municipalities “free” hardware, in return for a cut of the infraction fees and legislatures will be more than happy to trade your freedom for a share in the profits.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bob A]

Absolutely will be an argument made by some. No different than the street light cameras or gunshot detection devices. They will be developed, deployed and improved in the areas of highest crime. Sounds like something we should be on board with. Common sense drone laws.

However, like everything else the state does, they will continually expand use, until we do have a ubiquitous drone surveillance apparatus everywhere. Companies will use the traffic camera model, to “give” municipalities “free” hardware, in return for a cut of the infraction fees and legislatures will be more than happy to trade your freedom for a share in the profits.

While the above ^^^ is going on, don't for a minute believe that it will be used as a serious crime fighting tool.

Remember the difference between the Jan 6 response, where they refused to release 10,000 hours of security cam video, and the Summer 2020 rioting, where mobs burned and looted cities.

Who's in jail?

 

[Occam]

Montgomery County (and all the others that that occupy a chunk of the DC FRZ (the 30-mile-wide Thou Shall NOT Fly Here zone) are going to find most of their drone activity constrained to the upper/outer part of of the county. Any officer (or contractor) operating these things will have to of course be FAA certified, but also personally on the hook for conduct within the most controlled air space in the world ... if they can even get a waiver at all over places like Bethesda or Silver Spring. The FRZ goes up through half of Rockville.

No-Go Zone (the red boundary):

And of course even when you're outside that zone, you're highly restricted around hospital helipads, little air strips like in Gaithersburg, etc. And the endless military helo traffic always wins when they blow through unannounced doing a Camp David run or just out training. The FAA isn't going to give an inch on this, even for operators working for the local county PD. Which isn't to say these things might not give a cop working a regularly scheduled shooting in Germantown a helping hand, or be useful when some kid has wandered into the woods in Poolesville.

 

[FrankOceanXray]

Montgomery County (and all the others that that occupy a chunk of the DC FRZ (the 30-mile-wide Thou Shall NOT Fly Here zone) are going to find most of their drone activity constrained to the upper/outer part of of the county. Any officer (or contractor) operating these things will have to of course be FAA certified, but also personally on the hook for conduct within the most controlled air space in the world ... if they can even get a waiver at all over places like Bethesda or Silver Spring. The FRZ goes up through half of Rockville.

No-Go Zone (the red boundary):

And of course even when you're outside that zone, you're highly restricted around hospital helipads, little air strips like in Gaithersburg, etc. And the endless military helo traffic always wins when they blow through unannounced doing a Camp David run or just out training. The FAA isn't going to give an inch on this, even for operators working for the local county PD. Which isn't to say these things might not give a cop working a regularly scheduled shooting in Germantown a helping hand, or be useful when some kid has wandered into the woods in Poolesvil.

I find this response too generic, blanketing.


There are plenty of drones flying in those areas.

 

[Bob A]

I find this response too generic, blanketing.


There are plenty of drones flying in those areas.

Perhaps, but not in airspace commingled with actual aircraft. I haven't glanced at the FARs for 20 years, so I'm certainly out of touch. I don't think FAA is going to jump on something small enough, under 500ft AGL, unless it tangles with real aircraft.

Your drone gets sucked into a jet engine, or strikes a million-dollar helicopter, there'll be hel to pay.

 

[Afrikeber]

Big Brother now has just added another tool to observe, document and destroy you, with your tax dollars. What they’ll do next is add AI control of the drones and the mission is completely automated.

Dare not speak in opposition of them.

Montgomery County Socialist Republic, Maryland.

Swift, silent, and deadly.

 

[FrankOceanXray]

Perhaps, but not in airspace commingled with actual aircraft. I haven't glanced at the FARs for 20 years, so I'm certainly out of touch. I don't think FAA is going to jump on something small enough, under 500ft AGL, unless it tangles with real aircraft.

Your drone gets sucked into a jet engine, or strikes a million-dollar helicopter, there'll be hel to pay.

Yes, genuine concerns.

Their deployment is happening. Drones are becoming common in LE.

 

[spoon059]

Montgomery County (and all the others that that occupy a chunk of the DC FRZ (the 30-mile-wide Thou Shall NOT Fly Here zone) are going to find most of their drone activity constrained to the upper/outer part of of the county.

I've heard the operators on the radio in Silver Spring. They are deployed in downtown. They are all FAA certified pilots and they have whatever waivers are required to operate down there.