Dutch invent autonomous drone that uses "IR" and "smells out" marijuana

[Springs]

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/...is-plantations

Quote:

Dwarf helicopter sniffs out cannabis plantations
Published: Tuesday 28 April 2009 11:29 UTC
Last updated: Tuesday 28 April 2009 12:20 UTC
Police in the northeastern Achterhoek region have begun using an unmanned miniature helicopter to track down the illegal cultivation of cannabis, which often takes place indoors. The so-called "canna-chopper" is fitted with cameras and a sniffer to take air samples out of ventilator shafts and chimneys. A dedicated gas analyser is able to recognise traces of weed smell in the air samples.

Police say they are not breaking the law because the samples can be taken without entering the building. The unmanned dwarf helicopter can stay airborne for a maximum of eight hours. It was designed and built by Dutch police engineers.

Police spokesman Anton de Ronde told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that the first flight on Tuesday morning had already led to the discovery of a cannabis drying shed and a plant cutting facility.

Video of it in action, said to use IR aswell as some sort of "gas analyser":
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26852192/#30477632

Watch out for the drones!

[dpn]

time to build a new spud launcher ill blast that b@stard good.

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!
Time to adopt the air recycling lung room technique...

[Lungus]

Hmmm, flying onto my property to conduct a warrantless search, sounds like trespassing to me and a 12 gauge with a load of No.2 bird shot would down that intruder pronto.
The use of this drone without a warrant would likely never survive a constitutional challange of the search and siezure laws in either Canada or the US. To the property owner or tenant this is tantamount to a law enforcement officer walking across your property climbing your roof and taking air samples out of your chimminy. It matters not that his feet never actually touched your property, his agent, the drone, has to physically enter your property and at such a close proximity to your structures as to assure where such emanations might be emitted from that it can't help but be viewed as an unwarranted search. This is the same as tapping a phone line, that while the agent never physically enters your property to listen in on conversation, the court views this activity as an invasion of your privacy that must be conducted only under the auspices of a legal warrant.
At such a point that LEO's get a warrant to surveil your property they already have a good idea and some evidence or testimony (read rats) of what you are up to and are only looking for additional evidence to take to court.

you go Lungus!

[Springs]

So assuming they can only use it if they have a warrant, probably not the best idea to "take it out"?

[Lungus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Springs

So assuming they can only use it if they have a warrant, probably not the best idea to "take it out"?

Just stoned and having a little mental fun, try not to take it too seriously, but there are still places where you will get shot at if you show up uninvited and unannounced.

[kindlydank]

<Sigh>

I wish I had to same faith in our legal system that you do, Lungus.

In my neck of the woods, they proudly state that they use FLIR... all they have to do is utter the magic words: "we got an anonymous tip". What Fourth Amendment?

I see no distinction at all between FLIR and this bullshit technology.

kindlydank

[Lungus]

Quote:

I see no distinction at all between FLIR and this bullshit technology.

With FLIR they can stand at the street with the device and see the infrared signature, with the drone they send the device over your property to chimney level to sniff the air coming out of it and any other vents on the house. If you fly a device onto my property at a level less than what a small airplane would fly at, I'd consider it trespassing but at a level less than the height of an antenna tower for a TV, it's definitely an invasion of privacy. No major court would let any evidence from such a search stand in court and any actions the police took due to the evidence from the drone should at that point be thrown out as well.

[Janosh]

I can't believe anyone still thinks that our rights are protected by law. If anything the law has destroyed what rights we thought we had. Of course our government has the best interest of its citizens at heart, just ask any indian.

I have to agree with Janosh...
Exoterism is a bitch.
One.

[Parabola]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janosh

I can't believe anyone still thinks that our rights are protected by law. If anything the law has destroyed what rights we thought we had. Of course our government has the best interewst of its citizens at heart, just ask any indian.

our rights are protected by common law or the law of the land, not corporate/admiralty law. you must consent to be governed under the jurisdiction of admiralty law. really we are deceived into this consent so we must actively un-consent and learn how to remove ourselves from corporate/government rule if we want our rights back. The drawback is not getting to collect welfare or social security.

[kindlydank]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lungus

With FLIR they can stand at the street with the device and see the infrared signature, with the drone they send the device over your property to chimney level to sniff the air coming out of it and any other vents on the house. If you fly a device onto my property at a level less than what a small airplane would fly at, I'd consider it trespassing but at a level less than the height of an antenna tower for a TV, it's definitely an invasion of privacy. No major court would let any evidence from such a search stand in court and any actions the police took due to the evidence from the drone should at that point be thrown out as well.

They CAN stand in the street and scan your house, but instead they mount the instrument on a helicopter and hover 20 feet over your house. Does that meet your antenna tower benchmark? Shoot that down and I bet you end up on the evening news.

I hate to have such a defeatist attitude, but it's hard not to when I watch The Dumb Masses vote in more and more big government...

kindlydank

[Lungus]

Quote:

but instead they mount the instrument on a helicopter and hover 20 feet over your house.

Definitely trespassing if they are that close. They just haven't gotten anyone with deep enough pockets to mount a decent challenge to these unconstitutional searches.

[spaceman]

get your guns!