Getting Familiar With the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAV's or Drones

Getting familiar with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAV's or Drones:

Defining Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, per the: http://www.theuav.com/ web site, the UAV is an acronym for an aircraft with no pilot on board. The Acronym stands for: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. 

 

     How are these vehicles used by law enforcement agencies?

·         Target and decoy –  a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile

·         Reconnaissance - battlefield

·         Combat -  attack capability for high-risk missions

·         Research and development -  used for further research and development

·         Civil and Commercial UAVs - UAVs  designed for civil and commercial applications

     Which agencies are currently using the UAV’s?

·         The Military

·         The FBI

·         The CIA

·         The Russians

·         NASA

·         Local Law Enforcement

·         Civilians

·         CSI

·         The Germans

       According to: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0206/States-consider-drone-bans-Overreaction-or-crucial-for-privacy-rights-video web site, there are some states that are banning the UAV’s.

     This is happening because many of these states feel that these UAV’s are an invasion of the public’s privacy. The following states are considering this ban: Los Angeles, California and Charlottesville, Virginia. This is the same as disregarding the amendments, the fourth to be exact. This is the amendment stating the right to illegal search and seizure.

     The FAA is currently studying the drone usage and why and where they are being used, and if it is a violation of our rights. The FAA regulates the airspace. FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA trumps the state and local authorities when anything comes and goes into the airways.

     Explain your opinion on whether a search warrant is required before a drone can be flown over or near private property for the purpose of obtaining evidence of criminal activity.

     My opinion is that if criminal activity is being conducted, we know that the law will state that a warrant is required, and it will be thrown out of court if one isn’t obtained. However, my opinion is this: if you are committing a crime, you’re bad. I feel you should get caught. You should know that sooner or later you are going to get caught. I am sick to death of criminals getting away with murder, rape, dealing drugs, and everything else that they are doing. But we all know that it’s not going to happen that way.

     We all know that the law is here to protect the criminals more so then the honest man. No matter how you look at it, that’s just how it is.

     However, I feel that if more UAV’s were flown above without these required warrants, we would find these ‘grow houses’ and could at the very least close those down! But, you guessed it, I am highly against drug users and abusers, and you did ask for my opinion, did you not?

      The idea of the UAV’s is a good one. They aren’t meant to harm or hurt us, but the aspect of the government and congress, is on one hand, they are trying to protect us, and on the other. They are trying to protect us. Yes, you read it right. I said the same thing twice. The government is not trying to ruin us, or cause us problems, but trying to fix problems and find things to make things better. But as we all know, with every action, there is a reaction.

     Discuss the other legitimate uses of drones as a law enforcement resource. Drones have been spotted to go above area’s searching for dead and missing bodies, when they are looking for missing and dead bodies, for CSI agencies. Drones have also been used to look for bombs, and to determine where they are located, and try and save the day. Drones have also been used to fly over traffic and give traffic reports. To this day, they are finding more and more uses for them, each and every day.

       I have known that the UAV’s have also been used to draw up current maps and mapping the area’s, like the desserts and oceans. UAV’s also fly above the ocean’s to see what is under the water. These devices can be used for so many things. They can use the camera’s and specific lighting, such as the x-ray vision, and more.

     Though hot air balloons could be considered UAV’s, I decided to search and see who created the first UAV. My research found this on yahoo answers: The Nazi Germans in WW2. They made V-1 and V-2. And believe it or not they have also created many of the drones we have today. The Germans and the Russians both are much ahead of America when it comes to certain technology, believe it or not.

     How do drones get around? Drones, or UAV’s are programmed by software, on computers, and watched and even driven by a joystick and a person on a computer, and a keyboard, and or sometimes, just by insight alone. Sometimes the drones can physically see on their own, and tell where it is that they need to go. Sometimes, people are guiding them. The UAV equipment both on the computer, and in the air, is very expensive. Sometimes, the UAV’s are shot down, and do not return home.

     Today, we are being told that the United States and Israel are the two most important manufacturers of drones. This was stated on: http://www.rferl.org/content/drones_who_makes_them_and_who_has_them/24469168.html

     An article I read here: http://ideas.time.com/2013/01/31/criminals-and-terrorists-can-fly-drones-too/ was quite shocking. It tells you about UAV, explaining how the UAV, which as we know, they now dismount bombs, go underwater into the depths of oceans that we, mankind has never been, and many other things. This, what I am stating to you, is that the UAV is many more things that just a plane. The term UAV means no one is with the vehicle. This doesn’t necessarily mean it flies, it means it moves. It means it moves, drives, or walks.

     This article is telling you, that we, as mankind are now going to have UAV’s performing in the near future crimes. Allow me to justify my explanation.

      This is where someone can buy a UAV and use it to unlock a bank vault and rob it. This is a simple example. Or we could send in a bomb to a residence, or a store, and set it to blow up. No human necessary. These are simply two examples.

      So how can a terrorist get away with it too? Just as easy. Send a UAV through security at the airport with a suitcase on the rack. The UAV is a simple luggage carrier. The terrorist is outside guiding it. BOOM! They blow up the airport, step one. Next a terrorist sends a UAV directly over the white house. I am sure by now, there is a way to allow it not to be seen. I know that when something is hovered low enough, it won’t register as a plane. For that matter, why not use a UAV as a little red balloon, and pretend to use it on a child, while the child is visiting the white house. Release the balloon close enough to the white house, and BOOM! These are simple examples that could possibly could be used and done. Not that these are real, or anything, just my thoughts.

      As I stated above, for every action, there is a reaction. We try to make something to benefit mankind, ourselves, and look what happens. The Criminals find a way to make it benefit them. There is no way around someone turning positives into negatives. Therefore, our World is going to hell in a hand basket.

Resources:

Web Site - on Drone Bans http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0206/States-consider-drone-bans-Overreaction-or-crucial-for-privacy-rights-video

Web site - details about drones and how terrorists and criminals will soon have them http://ideas.time.com/2013/01/31/criminals-and-terrorists-can-fly-drones-too/

Web site- who makes Drones: http://www.rferl.org/content/drones_who_makes_them_and_who_has_them/24469168.html

Web site- the UAV http://www.theuav.com/