Just in case you were wondering about the future of police and robotics combining, just remember that big brother is always watching...
Toronto Star posted
Unmanned aerial drones have proved valuable in Afghanistan for Canadian and American military forces on the hunt for Taliban bases and weapons caches.
Florida criminals, take note: You’re next on the list.
The Miami-Dade police department is now planning to use one of the airborne devices to track suspects and provide police with images of hostage situations before going in.
Dubbed a Micro Air Vehicle, or MAV, the radio-controlled drone — vaguely resembling an overturned garbage pail — is equipped with a camera system. It flies with the aid of small fans.
“It will be used in situations where our special response team has been called out and a perimeter has been set up, and will be operated by someone with a pilot’s licence,” Detective Aida Fina-Milian told the Star Thursday.
She said the force used a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase the MAV, which has been in testing for the past several weeks. Its use on city streets has not yet been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, a process that could take six months.
The MAV, which can fly as high as 3,200 metres, has the ability to hover over a scene or move quickly to a location, much like a helicopter.
It also has forward- and backward-facing cameras, and can be deployed in as little as five minutes. It is manufactured by Honeywell Aerospace.
While the MAV will no doubt aid police in tense situations, not everyone is pleased with the purchase.
The Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is raising concerns that the camera attached to the MAV could be used to invade people’s privacy.
“What happens when they fly over backyards and they see something without a warrant that they want?” said the Union’s executive director, Howard Simon, in an interview with Miami’s local CBS affiliate.
Police, however, say such concerns are unwarranted.
“We’re not going to fly it all around town,” said Det. Javier Baez told the Star. “It’s not like big brother is going to be watching for you.”
Fucking Florida... I mean, I prefer a headcrab to learning more about future America. Cause really, this is just another way of police having to avoid going into the ghetto. They already got police towers with cameras peppered all over the place and low flying helicopters are always around in East L.A. I generally never see a cop car unless it's speeding through as quickly as possible.
But I have only one piece of advice - if any one of you readers in Florida doesn't shoot these things down, I don't know what to say other than I'm completely disappointed in you people. Though you can attempt to take them down with a crowbar if you're feeling Gordon Freeman like.
It would be highly ironic if you could confuse them with a bright enough camera flash. That would be one expensive clay pigeon, is what I'm saying. There's like a 3:1 gun to person ratio in Florida, so somebody is bound to shoot one of them down. Just look at these hummingbirds.
They pretty much equal American military robots crossing the line from merely frightening into surrealist nightmares.The Department of Defense and a shitload of law enforcement agencies here, which always love new toys, have been trying to get authorization from the FAA to use them for a while now.
Seriously, folks. I can't wait to hear how you all shot one of these down. It'll be like apocalypse now. "Hey Roach!" Then again, I can't wait until the first person goes to prison for 25 years for destroying one of these, which will be the first and last time any resistance to them is heard of.
We'll eventually classify police robots as officers like we do our dogs and horses. Resisting surveillance will become a crime in itself for hampering our brave men in blue. This message was brought to you by the Combine overwatch.
There's a local "towne centre" that is basically a big ass shopping center with overpriced mediocre shit, designer clothing and some overpriced apartments that everyone calls "Oh, it's so European, I can walk and shop!" has some mobile "security towers" in the parking lots.
It's a gigantic tinted scissors lift so a rent-a-cop can sit on his ass and look and make sure nobody is walking while black in a white parking lot, literally. That or it's empty, as nobody can see if a cop is really in one.
Over all, I'm just wondering how many Cubans who risked their lives to escape Castro's dictatorial surveillance state this will catch.
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