LOS ANGELES - The future of law enforcement was launched into the smoggy Los Angeles skies at the weekend in the form of a drone aircraft intended to bring spy-in-the-sky technology to urban policing.
The unmanned aerial vehicle, called the SkySeer, looks like a remote-controlled toy and fits into a bag. In the air, the craft is guided by global positioning system co-ordinates, and a camera fixed to the underside sends video to a laptop command station.
A prototype is being tested by the LA County Sheriff's Department, which says SkySeer will accomplish tasks too dangerous for officers, and free helicopters for other missions. "This technology could be used to find missing children, search for lost hikers or survey a fire zone," said Commander Sid Heal, head of the technology exploration project. "The plane is virtually silent and invisible."
The SkySeer, which has low-light and infrared capabilities and can fly at speeds of up to 47km/h, would also be able to spot burglary suspects but would be too slow for car chases.
Heal believes it will be the first of many such craft to be used in future police work. "Who knew five years ago we would be shooting photos with our phones?" he said. "I can see drones replacing some aircraft in 10 years."
LA Police operate 18 helicopters costing up to US$5.5 million each. The SkySeer costs US$20,000 ($32,800) to US$30,000 ($49,200).
Critics have slammed the privacy implications. "A helicopter can be seen and heard and one can make behaviour choices based on that," said Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "Do we want to live in a society where our backyard barbecues will be open to police scrutiny?"
Heal said the concerns were unwarranted. "You shouldn't be worried about being spied on by your Government," he said. "These days you can't go anywhere without a camera watching you."
BUZZED BY THE FUZZ - THE NEW POLICE WEAPON
* The SkySeer weighs 2.25kg and is powered by replaceable battery that lasts about 70 minutes. It has aluminium and nylon fabric wings atop a Kevlar fuselage.
* It is equipped with an infrared sensor so it can operate at night.
* Unmanned drones can be used if police want a bird's eye view of an incident. Colour video would be streamed to a portable computer manned by an officer 75m below.
* About 2m-wide and almost 0.9m-long, the plane can be folded easily into a tube small enough to fit in the back seat of a squad car.
* The drone will initially be limited to scanning rooftops for break-ins and finding lost children or hikers.
* If successful, the LAPD could eventually put as many as 20 into service, expanding their use to searching for suspects and monitoring hostage situations.
- INDEPENDENT
Privacy fears over sky-spy police drone
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.