New Turf War Escalating, Camera Drone Pilots vs. Traditional Helicopter Pilots!

Los Angeles, CA—Technology has brought us unmanned, remote controlled aircraft.  These things have been around for decades. Expectedly they have been engineered for surveillance and combat by military contractors.

More recently GPS advances and really great and diminutive cameras such as the GoPro has brought us an affordable civilian drone that has been thrilling photographers such as me.

The vast majority of the civilian camera drones are weighing in at between one and three pounds and can be safely operated from as much as a mile away.  They can capture stunning images at much lower altitudes than helicopters without the risk of death and destruction. 

There are larger and more sophisticated drones that handle the bigger cameras used by the film industry and require very solid piloting skills.  

One thing for sure civilian drone operators don’t want their devices endangered or the subject of adverse police scrutiny. 

I have two camera drones my least expensive is worth $1,000.00 and my better one cost me $2000.00.  Needless to say I’d be very unhappy if it were destroyed or confiscated by authorities. 

The Turf War has begun!

Police and TV news helicopter pilot’s careers are suddenly in serious jeopardy because of the drone technology.  They are antagonistic and understandably hostile to this drone technology. 

Every year in America several helicopters crash, lives are lost along with millions in property damage.  The reason is most often pilot error.   The civilian multi-rotor camera drones have never been involved in a single death or remarkable injury.  

The civilian drones can operate in much tighter spaces making them more versatile in search and rescue operations at least in regards to finding people, pets and property.  Of course the little drones cannot evacuate people for medical trauma or from precarious mountainsides. 

The civilian drones cannot cope with police car chases like helicopters but can provide excellent images of crime, accident, fire and other disaster scenes for TV news. 

The L.A. Department of Water and Power is demanding two new helicopters to inspect their assets, equipment and property.  Let me be the first one to say that they can now get by with only one!  They simply need a qualified camera drone operator that would cost a tiny percentage of the price of a second helicopter.  It may be possible to jettison the second helicopter with a small fleet of drones! 

TV news operations can save millions and avoid the risk of deadly crashes altogether! 

The drones will have causalities for sure.  They are the helicopter crews and the maintenance support staff will be looking for work.

As for the future of manned helicopters that is in doubt two because technology may create the accident proof drone helicopter.  This may not be far away.

One last thing, today’s big drone story in New York is the arrest of to camera drone pilots for criminal endangerment.   

I call bullshit on the helicopter cop’s claims that the drones were aggressively chasing them.  I guess the cops overlooked that the two drones have the ultimate back boxes onboard!  They have the SD Ram cards with a full visual record of the flights involved. 

The police should have their own unedited video and examination of the three combined videos should reveal the unvarnished truth. 

In any event I hope that civilian drone photographers are not subjected to violation of their civil rights under color of law in order to score points in a turf war. 

The biggest motivating factor for safe and law abiding operation of the new civilian camera drones is the value of the devices and cameras.  Existing law covers any issues of dangerous or criminal mischief. 

Civilian drones have their new place in the sky cut out for them.  The benefits far outweigh any potential liabilities. 

The issue of licensing for drone pilots is under review and discussion and my sources are telling me that drones weighing more than 55 pounds will be targeted for regulation.  The multi-rotor pilots like me with small devices will be free from special attention from the FAA.

State and local legislative bodies will be looking to create all manner of bans and new laws.  Let’s hope they all think about the safety and benefits before they act. 

I expect to see thousands of new jobs for small drone photographers in news, movie making, farming, real estate, insurance adjusting and many other industries.

The Quadcopter and More Video!

I was up in the SF Bay Area attending the IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference last week.  I also had a teriffic lunch in Hollywood yesterday. I could not resist sending my quadcopter up for some stunning video.  Take a look and enjoy! 

The New Politics of Civilian Drone Regulation

Los Angeles, CA—As a long time photographer, licensed private investigator and television journalist I have to weigh in on drone regulation.

For me it all began for me as a Chicago cop long ago.  I’m also a Viet Nam Era veteran.

First of all there are no recorded deaths from the consumer drones that photographers are using.  Injuries and property damage has so far been so insignificant as to be totally off the radar.

Our drone cameras are no different that your cell phone cameras.  You have to get really close for a recognizable face shot.  The cameras drone operators are using are not suited for such portrait photography.   Privacy concerns are way over-rated and are only a figment of paranoid imaginations.

Our drones are electric and are not capable of making noise disturbances. 

Yes, drones can be misused just like rocks, scissors and paper.  You can make a weapon out of anything and cause damage or harm.  Our simple drones are not weapons. Using a drone to commit or facilitate a crime is and will always be a crime. 

All of the needed laws are already in place and have been for a very long time. 

We only have privacy rights in places where there is a reasonable expiation of privacy.  Despite the NSA inside our homes and businesses we are protected from spying by law.   Stalking, harassment and disturbing the peace laws already apply to everyone including drone operators.

Assault, manslaughter, and endangerment laws are on the books everywhere.  Reckless behavior with a drone or in any other way is already a crime.   Flying a drone in the near vicinity of manned aircraft would be a crime under state and local laws everywhere.

Suddenly  I see drone operators fearing bans suggesting compromising our legal ability to fly our drones such as where people exist.  There is just no basis or justification for that kind of restriction based on the fact that there are no deaths or injuries happening.

These drones were considered toys until they were married with the tiny cameras such as the GoPro.    Suddenly drones became the subject of over-imaginative conversation and news stories.   People are going overboard and believe that we now somehow need new bans and laws.

Drone operators need to vigorously fight for what few rights we have left in America. 

The new drone journalists should be allowed to cover news like they are with pencils, typewriters, computers, and conventional cameras.  Camera drones are legitimate news gathering devices and should be fully protected under the First Amendment.

We must never forget that conventional aircraft and helicopters used by news kill people every year somewhere.  Drones are so much safer for newsgathering not to mention only a tiny fraction of the cost. 

The FAA needs to focus on their current aviation duties.  They want to expand their bloated bureaucracy to cover every 12 year-old boy with a remote controlled aircraft.  That’s just plain nuts! 

Here is a little video I created with a Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro 3+ camera at Carmel-By-The Sea.

Police, Media Relations and Disinformation

Phoenix, AZ—Politicians and their appointed police chiefs across this nation demand nearly total control of police related information.

It’s epidemic in the larger cities controlled by Democratic Party mayors.  They see the value of leaving their citizens with a false sense of security and public safety as they spin any and all information accordingly.

Police business was once considered just that.  Certain information was kept away from all but sworn police officers.  That’s not the case because the local politicians have demanded and unlawfully obtained access to sensitive police data nearly everywhere.

Politicians also demand the ability to influence arrests and prosecutions of friends, relatives and of course their campaign contributors.  Illicit influence is used to both free the guilty and even jail the innocent.  Cops and prosecutors have no choice but to look the other way.  Whistle blowing in law enforcement circles simply does not exist. 

Our cops are considered expendable so reality dictates that the bosses find a sacrificial lamb or two to frame, fire and destroy their reputations.  This creates the appearance of avoiding corruption by eating a few of their own.

If you think things are operating by the book anywhere, you’re dead wrong.  Of course the actual Obstruction of Justice must be subtle and well below media radar. 

Controlling the cops is somewhat easy for politicians because they control the lives of officers through their jobs, working assignments and pensions.

Because of political corruption the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports system is almost totally unreliable because of local politicians and their police chiefs. 

They have learned that they can skew statistics to get additional federal funding or to hide things like murders from the public.  They’ve found creative ways of making crime statistics appear almost anyway they want.  

I’ve been both a cop and an investigative TV news producer over the last four decades and have seen this all-first hand. 

The police agencies have learned that they can control information by the use of Public Information Officers.   These are the kind of people that know how to do exactly what they’re told by superiors. 

PIO’s are not there to disseminate information but to protect and hide it.  They provide not a single syllable beyond what the public record demands.  They do this with a broad smile and appearance of cooperation. 

PIO’s know how to arrange a live news conference on an important crime story.  They love the captive audience that live TV gives them.  The PIO’s dutifully subvert the news conference purpose and instead use it for face time of the local politicians that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. 

Then they all brag about the “great work” they are doing for the taxpayers until the mass nausea sets in.  Only after that they will say a few words about the story involved. 

Today’s local news is troubled in a big way.  Lost audience and revenue has eliminated any challenges to the PIO’s disinformation.  The PIO’s and their bosses love this and know the stories will spin they way they want them.

As an investigative TV news producer I’ve made it personal policy to purposely avoid the PIO’s and not waste my time with them.  

Instead I locate and contact the witnesses, victims and property owners for the real story.  Instead of waiting for the cops to tell me about the backgrounds I investigate the newsmakers myself. 

If news organizations like allowing the PIO’s to tell their audiences what the news is, reporters and producers are not necessary.  Let the PIO’s Skype in their sound! 

No police department, politician or other obstructionist is going to prevent me from digging and learning the truth about a story I’m working.  Getting a news director to authorize my time these days is the real challenge. 

I’ve always watched the lamest of reporters suck up to the PIO’s thinking they will somehow get something extra.  The PIO’s are enemies of the truth and exist only to demolish or derail anything that might show government ineffectiveness or questionable motivation. 

Reporters should simply refuse to deal with the PIO’s.  If the cop or a low level supervisor like a sergeant or detective handling the story you're working has been muzzled that all the more reason to skip wasting time with the PIO’s. 

At a minimum no sound bites, name recognition belongs in print or on video of any police PIO. 

Every journalist that covers crime and courts should know this. 

The truth is that many reporters these days only want to get their minute-thirty second package up or six-inch print story without any effort.  What a sad existence.  I say do it right or don’t do it at all. 

Theatre Palisades is a Place for Great Entertainment in Los Angeles

Pacific Palisades, CA—In this terrific seaside community there is an incubator for talent called Theatre Palisades.  It’s within the Pierson Playhouse that was built on its present site in 1975.  They put up five major shows a year along with children’s shows and various concerts.

Right now until July 13^th you can see the Tennessee Williams play, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.   For your convenience they have a website at www.theatrepalisades.org  

Back when I spent more time in L.A. I was honored to appear in several of their productions.  Six weeks of rehearsals along with a six week show run make appearing on the stage nearly impossible for me today.   The sad part is that it was non-stop fun. 

Since I’m having so much fun with little my camera-armed drone why not give you an incredible view of this great venue.

Compromise Gun Rights to Accommodate The Dangerously Mentally Ill?

Los Angeles, CA—There is little doubt that every mass shooter in the USA suffered from severe mental illness, usually schizophrenia. Most or all have rejected taking anti-psychotic medication and accordingly they went on deadly rampages.

We used to put these people in mental hospitals that were more tolerable and comfortable than our jails.  After our medical community determined that wonder drugs were more humane that hospitalization they convinced government officials to close the asylums.

Now the same people are simply sitting in jails and prisons without treatment.  The effort to be more humane has backfired.

The solution offered against violence by the insane is to eliminate gun rights for the sane and law-abiding.  They seem to forget that the insane use knives, clubs or brute force to murder.  They can’t seem to understand that before the Oklahoma Bombing and 9/11 attack on America that the most significant mass murder was committed with a single gallon of gasoline at the Happyland Social Club taking nearly 100 lives. 

It’s impossible to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of the insane that are driven or determined to kill.  We must face that fact and  deal with it.

I don’t have the answers to or mental health problems of America anymore than I have for the millions of Americans using street drugs and alcohol.  However taking the rights of the sane, sober and law-abiding is no answer. 

If we really care about the mass killings we have to address and revisit the real issue behind these massive catastrophes.  If we refuse to consider reopening the mental hospitals we must accept that we will continue to have these unthinkable tragedies. 

The horrible massive shootings were unheard of in America until we ended hospitalization of the mentally ill. 

Is it fair to allow the dangerously mentally to roam free and force the law-abiding to surrender their right to keep and bear arms?  Disarming people does not make them safe.  Not only is it unfair it’s absolutely unconstitutional. 

Las Vegas Mutant Cop Killers and a Few Facebook Favorite Photos

Las Vegas, NV—This is very early information and it does not contain their criminal history or mental health information. of two maniacs that decided to murder two unsuspecting cops eating lunch her on a quiet Sunday.  There will be more to come. 

Apparently Jared and Amanda Woodruff Miller began their own revolution yesterday by ambushing and murdering the two young cops, Igor Solodo, 41 and Alyn Beck, 31 as they were both having lunch at CiCi’s Pizzeria .    After killing the cops they quickly stripped them of their guns, ammunition, body armor and police badges.  The announced that the revolution had begun and fled to a nearby WalMart.

The story from there becomes confusing.  A yet to be identified woman was murdered at the WalMart as the two maniacs shot up this big box store.  People fled.  There is a report that a yet to be identified licensed concealed weapon holder engaged the two in gunfire and many have wounded one of them saving lives.

Eventually they were surrounded by police and currently it’s believed that Amanda shot Jared dead and then killed herself. 

None of us can imagine motives or mindset for this kind of violence.  The press branded them as White Supremacists, but their victims were white.  That makes no sense.  But these kinds of things never do. 

It looks like their revolution is over but in a sick society that refuses to confine dangerously mentally ill people we can expect more.  These news making violent events were not part of the American Culture until the mental hospitals were all emptied and shut down.  

My Camera Armed Drones and Your Privacy

Phantom 2 Quadcopter

Los Angeles, CA—There is a bit of a debate going on involving one of technology’s newer gifts.  The somewhat inexpensive, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drones are here.  Are they really a threat to your privacy?  I have the answer for you.

As most of my readers know, I’m a licensed private investigator.  I now have my own Air Force consisting of two consumer type camera-armed drones!  Can these gee wiz gizmos help me learn more about the people I’m investigating?  The answer is, not really.

First of all the devices are limited significantly by their power sources.  They are battery operated.  The longest they can stay in the air currently is under 25 minutes. 

They may be quiet but are visible especially at night because of their running lights.  The lights must stay on or the pilot can’t see or control it.  

For surveillance they are worthless because of the short flight time.  Traditional means of watching people are still more effective. 

If a person I’m investigating enters a vehicle I can only follow the vehicle for less than a mile under the best of conditions.  Tall buildings, power lines, lamp posts and trees all threaten my drones. 

Rain and wind are not friendly to my drones and I have no desire to risk seeing them destroyed. 

I’ve stayed awake nights trying to figure out ways of using the UAS to further my investigations.  I’ve found a couple that really don’t threaten privacy. 

Frequently I need high-resolution aerial images of accident or crime scenes to use during interviews and for court exhibits.  The drones are absolutely excellent for this purpose.

Locating stolen property or livestock has suddenly become easier.  Before I’d have to hire aircraft and pilots to look at property from the air to avoid allegations of trespass.  Now I can do the same thing but without spending a fortune with my drones.

Some could argue drones can be used to look through windows but so can any helicopter.  That is really not practical because of limitations on cameras in difficult lighting conditions.  My little drones are incapable of gathering audio because of issues like wind and the sound of the rotors. 

The affordable drones can’t handle the much heavier and sophisticated cameras and night vision equipment or spotlights like helicopters.  My cameras are the tiny and featherweight GoPro Hero 3+ that provides stunning images.

The only mischief I could really get involved with are nude sunbathers in their back yards that could be observed and photographed.  That’s been the case with helicopters since their invention.  That’s been an issue for Hollywood’s starlets for decades.  I have to ask have some of those pictures and resulting publicity furthered their careers? 

In the future I’m sure that the technology and capability of the drones will evolve in the future but we’re talking years and decades. 

The fact is that Americans have privacy rights provided they stay in places like inside their homes and businesses where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.  My drones can’t see you while you’re in your bathtub or bed. 

I also plan to use these drones for newsgathering purposes.  Active accident, fire and crime scenes where helicopters are unavailable are going to be my drone targets.  We all know how helpful aerial views are for TV news video.   The problem is having this kind of event at a convenient distance. 

I challenge any of my visitors to figure out a way to invade privacy that would actually justify concerns.