Police UAV supplier reveals how police lie to politicians and the public (Updated)
image credit: Police UAV Drones
According to 'DartDrones', Police departments should make it their priority to lie convince the public to accept UAV's or surveillance drones.
"Many people see stories about drone surveillance and become nervous about being spied on. Your [police departments] goal is to reduce these fears by showing what a drone can and can’t do. The public’s opinion can make or break the police unmanned aerial vehicle unit."
"Public perception is perhaps the most significant hurdle that you will encounter during the development of your police unmanned aerial vehicles program. Remember that most of the general public have very little knowledge of UAVs. Their only is from what the nightly news reported."
"If your agency has a community relations or crime prevention unit, they can help provide opportunities to introduce the UAV program to the public. These events give citizens a first hand look at what the UAV is intended for, the capabilities of a drone, and, most importantly, answer questions and dispel concerns. Make the event interactive with the public. Prepare a presentation for a city or county council meeting. Do not forget to address UAV uses outside of the public safety agency. For example, when the building department learns you can perform a roof inspection in a fraction of the time that it would require them and save them some work, you will have gained a great ally. A little public relations work at this point can pay big dividends down the road."
It doesn't get any plainer that that, UAV companies admit drones are all about spying and want police to lie to city councils and the public. Police community relations are designed to do one thing, push police agendas.
Does anyone really think police drones are going to be being used for roof inspections?
In 2013 the Police and Fire chiefs considered banning the word 'drone' in order to convince the public to accept them.
Updated 5/13:
347 law enforcement agencies use drones to spy on everyone
A recent report by the Center for the Study of the Drone warns that at least 347 state and local police, sheriff, fire, and emergency units have acquired drones in the past several years. More acquisitions took place in 2016 than in the previous years combined, and the pace of acquisitions shows no signs of slowing down.
Police no longer use the word 'surveillance'
According to an article in Slate, police across the country have stopped using the word 'surveillance' to describe drones.
Jon Hansen, the head of Oklahoma’s Council on Firefighter Training said “law enforcement does not do a good enough job of flaunting our successes.” He went on to say he’d barely heard the word surveillance spoken at the conference—instead, people were saying “situational awareness.” This was smart, he said, because “surveillance” makes people uneasy.
Two Google searches reveal how UAV companies will go to any lengths to sell their spying drones to police departments. A Google search for "convincing city councils to purchase UAV's" returned close to 700,00 hits and another Google search "helping police acquire UAV's" returned close to a million hits.
Police told to keep lying to the public about drones
Police are instructed to keep lying educating the public and politicians and eventually you'll win them over...
"A citizenry that does not support the use of a UAV for government use has the power to stop the program in its tracks. But, they can also be the easiest to win over with a little bit of effort and education. The work that you put in now will set the tone for how the program grows in the future."
Police Foundation's 2017 'Public Safety' Drone Infographic:
image source:Police Foundation