Highlights
• Police departments eye unmanned aerial vehicles for practical, investigative purposes
• UAVs relatively low price tags could ease strained police finances and resources
• Safety concerns could delay FAA approval for widespread use
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has selected the Houston and Miami-Dade County police departments to evaluate the feasibility of operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in civilian US airspace.
UAVs are remotely operated drone aircraft that can cost several thousand dollars to more than a million. UAVs are often equipped with cameras, sensors, communication technology, and sometimes weapons. Militaries have used UAVs since the First World War as crude flying bombs. Many years later, the drones would be used for intelligence gathering missions. In the past several years, UAVs including the MQ-1 Predator, the RQ-4A Global Hawk, and the MQ-9 Reaper have been used by military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and precise attack missions (Source) (Source). Iranian
Now, the FAA is conducting the seven-month project to establish protective guidelines and training requirements for law enforcement agencies across the country. For law enforcement, UAV capabilities range from traffic violations to surveying a sensitive crime scene. For homeland security, UAVs could allow first responders unique visual access to once unreachable areas in times of a major natural disaster. Additionally, a tested and reliable system of UAVs could help tighten border security and improve upon search and rescue mission techniques.
An additional incentive is highlighted when comparing the costs of UAVs to purchasing or renting helicopters and light, single engine airplanes. Practical, low-cost UAVs can run $US 25,000 to purchase while operating helicopters can cost $US 1,000 an hour (Source) (Source). Additionally, lighter weight UAVs exhibit fuel-efficient qualities, as they can run for 20 hours on just over one gallon of gasoline (Source).
UAVs Suited For Several Scenarios
The ability of an inexpensive, remotely operated drone to quietly blend into the environment, fly at high altitudes, and serve in a variety of law enforcement functions has generated interest from police departments around the country. As a result, police departments nationwide are pursuing many avenues in which UAVs could aid police investigations and first responder missions.
• In urban areas around Houston and Miami, police will test the ability of UAVs to help document violated traffic laws and also serve as an indicator for traffic jams (Source).
• The Sacramento Police Department recently unveiled its own homegrown version for UAVs. Upon approval from the FAA, the SPD noted that one of the UAVs many purposes involves scanning levees with infrared light to detect possible leaks, as well as conducting search and rescue missions in large scale floods (Source).
• In the devastating fires that engulfed much of Southern California in October 2007, firemen used a UAV to track fire paths (Source).
• Police in a North Carolina county have previously used UAVs to track the movement of biker gangs. The county law enforcement also hopes the vehicle can one day help detect potential marijuana fields (Source).
• Recent terrorist attacks on oil pipelines could cause oil companies to consider UAV monitoring systems.
Potential Inhibitors
As police in Houston and Miami-Dade county test UAVs over the next several months, potential limitations remain.
• Privacy advocates will likely cite concerns that the UAVs could be used to infringe upon personal privacy.
• In April 2006, an error by a piloting team led to the crash of a Predator B UAV in Arizona under the Arizona Border Control Initiative. The crash highlighted potential safety concerns for larger UAVs roaming in civilian airspace. Although the crash did not harm any civilians, the unit, weighing several thousand pounds, could have inflicted significant damage in an urban area (Source).
• With an already crowded civilian airspace, the likelihood of aircraft collisions between UAVs and piloted aircraft could increase.
Despite safety concerns, UAV developers continue to make technological strides and have reduced the weight and size of future UAVs. Further, as developers continue to address remaining safety concerns, FAA approval of such technology will largely be linked to the project’s successes or failures in Houston and Miami-Dade County in the upcoming months.
