http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/27/business/drone.php

The Miami police could soon use cutting-edge flying drones to help fight crime.

A small pilotless vehicle manufactured by Honeywell International, capable of hovering and “staring” using electro-optic or infrared sensors, is expected to be introduced soon in the skies over the Florida Everglades.

If use of the drone wins U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approval after tests, the Miami-Dade Police Department will start flying the 14 pound, or 6.35 kilogram, drone over urban areas with an eye toward full-fledged employment in crime fighting.

“Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes,” said Detective Juan Villalba, a police department spokesman.

“We intend to use this to benefit us in carrying out our mission,” he added, saying the wingless Honeywell aircraft, which fits into a backpack and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, seems ideally suited for use by SWAT teams in hostage situations or dealing with “barricaded subjects.”

And the Miami-Dade police are not alone. Taking their lead from the U.S. military, which has used drones in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, law enforcement agencies across the United States have voiced a growing interest in using drones for domestic crime-fighting missions.

Not that the Posse Comitatus Act is really in effect anymore but many people still believe that the military can’t be used for policing domestically. Well those pushing for a fascist police state have figured out how to get around that. Make the police like the military instead.

And really… as if this will stop crime. It will only escalate it. Any crime it stops a petty thief has given up will be made up by the professionals in severity.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/…

Kirsch equipped Greg Slate, an undercover investigator from the center, with a hidden camera and accompanied him into one police station after another. In the segment, Kirsch and Slate are met with indifference, and at times hostility, in Coral Gables, Hialeah Gardens, Miami Beach, Miami Springs, South Miami, and Sunny Isles Beach. They are denied complaint forms at every stop. At a Miami-Dade Police district station, a sergeant taunts Slate. “What is it?” the policeman barks. “Did [a cop] steal your money? Did he have sex with your wife?”

Shortly after Kirsch’s report aired, the Broward County Police Benevolent Association put out a mock BOLO — “be on the lookout” — for Kirsch via the union’s Website. It warned officers: “Channel 4 News is … setting up officers and instigating confrontations, then filing complaints with the various agencies.” It posted Kirsch’s date of birth, home address, and driver’s license number. Broward PBA president Dick Brickman accused the reporter of creating a news story where none existed.

It’s upsetting this story wasn’t more widely published. This is appalling. He is later pulled over (be sure to read the article fully) and charged with resisting arrest with violence, assault on an officer and disorderly conduct and is now trying to clear his name. Thankfully he’s fighting it and not only will win that particular case but also bring investigations on these police departments. I’d never thought about doing this but sounds like an entertaining experiment.