I-Pass data has already been supoena’d in divorce and other civil proceedings, makes a very nice record of “Mr. Smith’s car was a this location at this time and at that location at that time…” ..

Mew

I can see one being used in a search if there is a warrant, but using them in patrols, shouldn’t be allowed from a general standpoint.

They are too easy to abuse, and there would be a disconnect between the person controlling the drone, and what is actually occuring, which could further add to the temptation of abusing this technology in a manner that does violate our 4th amendment rights.

(the pic above is one of my cousins – do we all look the same to you?)

In Illinois, we’re seeing a lot of magnetic/weight-based traffic-sensors (the ones that turn the light green only when someone’s at the intersection) being replaced by camera-based systems .. and yes, the cameras can be watched.

Then, there’s the City of Chicago gunshot-cams… when they hear a shot fired, they start recording for X minutes…

I suppose it’s reasonable to lump drones in with this .. but I would like to see anyone who supports drones make a clear statement about what the “rules” that will govern drone use are.

The problem isn’t drones or fixed-position cameras in public places. The problem isn’t even Google’s epic war drive**. The problem is the temptation to see this information as potentially usable for other purposes…. A rather serious temptation, while we wait for the laws to catch up to the technology. Again.

Mew

** War driving = slowly driving around a neighborhood with a laptop, searching for insecure wireless hot spots…

But psst: drones are terrible for that sort of thing. They’ll put their infrared cameras and Van Eck scanners (if you don’t know wht that is, look it up and weep) and drive by your home. Remember Street View? They’ll use the tech Google used, too.

Drones are a red herring.

I disagree that public patrols are inherently anti-liberty though. Liberty requires order.

Yes, snooping in private areas is more offensive, but both are rooted in the same anti-liberty mindset.

Mew

What you seem to be missing is that there’s a clear, bright line between open surveillance of public areas, and secret surveillance of private areas.

You wan tto get outraged? Look at means police use to try to spy INSIDE your home without a warrant. That’s the problem. That’s the Stasi stuff.

Drones are a red herring.

Police drones may serve a purpose, but they’re no silver bullet. McDonnell is wrong pushing this as a good thing.

Mew

Go read up on the Stasi terror sometime, acat. I think in this age we’re forgetting just how awful the communist police states really were.

There’s a rather large line between “law & order” and “police state”… and I’m glad to see McDonnell, whose name has come up as a potential veep nom or cabinet post under a Romney administration, clarifies that he’s on exactly the wrong side of it.

Mew

From the SECnetwork:

The Commodores stole six bases in the ninth inning, tying the SEC Tournament record for stolen bases in a game in that inning alone. In that inning, Vanderbilt successfully executed a single steal, double steal and triple steal. Vanderbilt totaled seven steals in the game to break the SEC Tournament record.