DHS is using state police to set up a national domestic drone spying program
The Illinois State Police announced that the FAA has authorized what it calls its 'Unmanned Aircraft System Program'.
It's a F***ING surveillance drone program, for god's sake! DHS/Police are trying to mask what it really is, by calling it an 'Unmanned Aircraft System Program'.
The State Police are avoiding the word 'drone' because 'it carries the perception of pre-programmed or automatic flight patterns, and random, indiscriminate collection of images and information.'
The announcement says the program 'is not being implemented for surveillance purposes.'
Does anyone really believe it?
There's even a UAS news website where you can follow all the latest surveillance drone news.
Need more proof DHS is running America's police? The Illinois State Police are using DHS/Customs Border Patrol lingo from 2009:
"DHS/CBPUAV Program DescriptionProvides Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS),operations, maintenance, technical support, pilots, and sensoroperators to surveil the Southwest border of the United States. Overthe next several years UAV border surveillance will improvesensor/video surveillance capabilities of the current, monitored basesystem through persistent 24 hours per day / 7 days per weeksurveillance; integrate new surveillance technologies (aerial sensorsuites), and increase interoperability with other law enforcementagencies and initiatives."
A recent DHS audit found DHS/CBP's UAS system to be ineffective and too costly!
Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP) drone program is ineffective and surveys less than 200 miles of the southwest border, according to an audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General.
The program operates 10 Predator B drones at a cost of more than $12,000 for every hour a drone spends in the air, funding which could be put to better use elsewhere, according to the OIG.
The program costs $10,000 more per flight hour than what DHS claims, according to the OIG.
“We estimate that, in fiscal year 2013, it cost at least $62.5 million to operate the program, or about $12,255 per [flight] hour,” the audit said. “The Office of Air and Marine’s calculation of $2,468 per flight hour does not include operating costs, such as the costs of pilots, equipment, and overhead.”
“Although CBP’s Unmanned Aircraft System program contributes to border security, after 8 years, CBP cannot prove that the program is effective because it has not developed performance measures,” the audit, released on Christmas Eve, said. “The program has also not achieved the expected results.”
The government has already spent $360 million on the program since 2005, and DHS hopes to add 14 more drones at a cost of $443 million. However, the OIG said the agency has not proved the program deserves to be expanded.
“Given the cost of the Unmanned Aircraft System program and its unproven effectiveness, CBP should reconsider its plan to expand the program,” the audit said. “The $443 million that CBP plans to spend on program expansion could be put to better use by investing in alternatives, such as manned aircraft and ground surveillance assets.”
DHS is told the program is ineffective and should be halted, so what do they do? They've taken the first step in Illinois by setting up a NATIONAL UAS domestic spying program.
Police continue to lie about using Stingray surveillance equipment that is spying on everyone's cell phones, so why would ANYONE believe this B.S.?
The ruling allows law enforcement agencies to use a UAS only in certain circumstances, such as natural disasters, searches for missing persons, documenting traffic crashes and crime scenes, or if DHS identifies a specific risk of terrorism.
Except in emergency situations, a search warrant must be obtained before the UAS can be used on private property.
There's the lie EXPOSED for anyone willing to look past the B.S. In most cases police don't even have to go before a judge to get a warrant.
If DHS/police or their Fusion Centers think you're a threat for any reason, they can put a GPS tracking device on your car and as an added bonus they'll use surveillance drones, traffic cams or license plate readers and your E-Z pass to track your every movement.
Police don't even need a warrant to spy on your cell phone records, so whats to stop them from using a drone to spy on everyone?
Wisconsin Police arrest robbery suspect after tracking him with a drone, fire chief Aaron Harris said the drone was bought using a private donation.
The Massachusetts State Police are looking to purchase the most sophisticated drone on the market.
The Los Angeles Police Dept., and the Miami Police Dept. just purchased drones. The list of drones being used by police departments is truly SCARY. Click here to view the FAA's map of police drones. Click here to see EFF's 2013 drone authorization list.
Two years ago, the Illinois General Assembly passed the “Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act,” which says that the use of drones is prohibited in the state with a number of exceptions.
As the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act stands, law enforcement is allowed to use drones if police have a warrant, if they have reasonable suspicion that harm to human life is imminent, or if they are attempting to locate a missing person.
“One of the concerns was always that a drone is an incredibly powerful tool to see into areas that police couldn't otherwise see in,” Ed Yohnka, of the American Civil Liberties UnionYohnka said.
“It’s used to follow to follow someone at a relatively low cost and extended period of time. And that's exactly why the legislature passed it and the governor signed the bill. I think this [FAA authorization] shows the wisdom of that decision” Yohnka said.
You've been warned it ALWAYS begins with a public safety message or a terror threat warning and then 'poof' like magic, DHS/Police are spying on everything.
US drone program 'should've never started' - Ron Paul:
Speaking on RT’s ‘Watching the Hawks’ program, Paul was asked if it’s time to close down the drone program considering that two hostages were recently killed in an airstrike.
“It should’ve been shut down a long time ago – it should have never been started, as far as I’m concerned,” Paul said. “It gives us nothing but grief. They’ve been used for [the] assassination of American citizens.”
“It should be closed down as quickly as possible. If it’s ever to be used in wartime it should be very strictly controlled.”
Paul said the sole purpose of the government and military is to protect our liberties, yet the federal government is doing the opposite. He added that interfering in other countries overseas draws the US further into conflicts to the point that it feels the need to undermine Americans’ rights.
“We lose our liberties here at home, at the same time it’s costing us a bundle, driving us into bankruptcy, and our freedoms are being undermined,” he said. “We’re told that we’re [overseas] to protect our liberties and enforce the Constitution by fighting unconstitutional wars overseas and unconstitutionally undermining our Fourth Amendment here at home.”
“It makes no sense. I just wish the American people would wake up,” he said.