Are the choppers invading my privacy?

I live in a good area, nice house, good community.

Almost every night, there are choppers overhead with their heat censors deals that can view into peoples houses. I have contacted the local MP and the local police force about this and they say that they are looking for grow-ops.

They said that they only look into house that are suspicious.

How easy is it for the choppers to peak into another house?

Many times while in the hot tub I have had this chopper shine its light right down on me, and many times has the light been shined directly into my room at around 3 a.m.

Is this necessary?

Is this an invasion of my privacy?

Originally posted by MacKiller

They said that they only look into house that are suspicious.

How easy is it for the choppers to peak into another house?

Many times while in the hot tub I have had this chopper shine its light right down on me, and many times has the light been shined directly into my room at around 3 a.m.

Is this necessary?

Is this an invasion of my privacy?

I doubt they can see into your house that is off course assuming your blinds are not closed.

My suggestion would be to make sure your windows are covered if you are that paranoid.

Yes it would be necessary if they are responding to complaints from surrounding neighbors.

They are not invading your privacy as I see it, they are just doing their job.

I'm not paranoid, just a bit ticked off, but you seem to be missing the point.

The police cannot step into your house without a warrent, why do they have the right to use a heat censor to see inside my house without one?

There was a case like this, in the USA, where the police pointed one of these heat sensitive cameras at someones house and noiced some marijuana growing lights. They arrested, but the case was thrown out as it was found that in using the thermal camera on his house they had searched it without a warrant.

So yes, it is an invasion of privacy, yet without a warrant they can't prosecute you for anything they see.

Originally posted by MacKiller
I'm not paranoid, just a bit ticked off, but you seem to be missing the point.

The police cannot step into your house without a warrent, why do they have the right to use a heat censor to see inside my house without one?

Are you sure they are doing it on purpose?

My guess is it just appears like they are. I would tend to think they are responding to a complaint of some sort, or perhaps investigating suspected illegal activity. It is not uncommon to set up surveilance on homes, hell they even use microphones to listen in on what people are saying from a distance, as long as they are in public view. (I doubt they could use what they heard in court w/o a warrant though) I am not sure about that.

It is not illegal to look into a window. By that I mean from an open area where one can see you clearly. It would be ilegal if they were hidden in a tree, but that is not the case here as I understand it.

May be one of your neigbhors may be growing pot; who knows.



[edit on 1/2/2005 by shots]

May be one of your neigbhors may be growing pot; who knows.

I was thinking this myself. There must be something going on where you live to attract the helos. In my neighborhood police helos are common but they don't seem to hover or loiter above without something else going on.

Originally posted by MacKiller
The police cannot step into your house without a warrent, why do they have the right to use a heat censor to see inside my house without one?

The fact is that they're not looking into your house. What they are doing is using a sensor that can see in unconvential ways what you choose to show them. If they're looking for heat from a grow op, all they're seeing is what you are allowing to be emmitted from the hosue. It's really no different than placing a sign on your roof.

Originally posted by minimi
There was a case like this, in the USA, where the police pointed one of these heat sensitive cameras at someones house and noiced some marijuana growing lights. They arrested, but the case was thrown out as it was found that in using the thermal camera on his house they had searched it without a warrant.

So yes, it is an invasion of privacy, yet without a warrant they can't prosecute you for anything they see.

Well since Mac used the term MP (that to me means Mounted Police indicating he/she lives in canda). That being the case it is now legal since use of IR is legal without a warrant.

www.overgrow.com...





[edit on 1/2/2005 by shots]

I would agree this is an invasion of your privacy, whether its legal or not.

Id suggest Mac that you bring this usse up to you elected represenative, whatever you call them in Canada. Work to get this crap banned. As far as I am concerned, the govornment NEVER has the right to sit and spy on people with camers, Infrared, and other tech toys.

If it is legal to scan anyones house with infrared, then the laws need to ba changed.

I am not sure if they can do that n the US. I think they might be able to in certain states, in others it would be illegal.

If they are shining thier light into your window, that might qualify as harrassmen.

Where I live their supposed to stay 1000 feet above the houses, but they often disturb the peace at 1AM or so at about 3-500 feet. They always fly towards my hot tub as well when I do a late nite dip. Really is BS that we have to put up with that crap. I'm sitting in the tub in peace & quiet (except when jets are on) & suddenly my peace disturbed by some aholes thinking the heat signature of the tub is hight output growning lamps.

I think someone should fire a laser in them aholes eyes.

There was a Texas Supreme Court ruling that barred law enforcement officers to use IR without a warrant applied for and approved by a judge after presentation of evidence. I'm sure this has no bearing on Canada, but in the states, precedent has been established.

Just take some "pictures" of em using a really bright flash unit, if they feel what they are doing to you is wrong, then they may backoff. If you were doing that and you thought someone had a clear picture of you, you would at least think twice.

Or arrange lots of heat lamps to spell out what ever. Maybe fake a grow-op and sue for damages?

If you really wanted to burn their arses, set you up a huge hydroponics garden, get the hottest damned lights you can find, then grow a massive crop of cat nip or tomatoes. Get some footage of the choppers, keep a journal of the air traffic over your house, etc. Then when they bust into your house to search it, file a civil action in federal court, and send a press release to every leftish news outlet or publication you can get it to and make the biggest deal you possibly can out of it. When they have to plug your lights back in and pay you millions of bucks, maybe the taste of thier own shoe leather will be bitter enough to remind them of a little phrase we like to call right to privacy or popular soverignty. Hell yes it's an invasion of your privacy.

Sheesh, don't you get it? There is no privacy anymore. There are no civil rights either. And yes they can search, arrest and prosecute without a warrant or a tribunal.

I am not sure about Canada however, but I know in US it's fair game, as it is legislated by the patriot act. Then again, it hardly makes a difference, as NAFTA may become one state.

We have helicopters here all the time circulating our skies like hawks for no apparant reason. I complained once and I was told to mind my business.

Originally posted by twitchy
If you really wanted to burn their arses, set you up a huge hydroponics garden, get the hottest damned lights you can find, then grow a massive crop of cat nip or tomatoes. Get some footage of the choppers, keep a journal of the air traffic over your house, etc. Then when they bust into your house to search it, file a civil action in federal court, and send a press release to every leftish news outlet or publication you can get it to and make the biggest deal you possibly can out of it.

I see a major flaw in the above. If they do not arrest you, how can you file a suit against them?

is it legal? i dont know. anyone who has actually experienced the system knows that depends on who throws more money at what lawyer.

is it an invasion of your privacy? hell yes, without question.

Originally posted by shots
Well since Mac used the term MP (that to me means Mounted Police indicating he/she lives in canda). That being the case it is now legal since use of IR is legal without a warrant.

www.overgrow.com...
[edit on 1/2/2005 by shots]

RCMP = Royal Canadian Mounted Police
MP = Member of Parliment

Originally posted by MacKiller

RCMP = Royal Canadian Mounted Police
MP = Member of Parliment

Ok gotcha thanks for the correction.

I Wonder why they did not inform you of the court ruling on this issue?

[edit on 1/3/2005 by shots]

Sounds like an illegal invasion of privacy to me. If you have a family lawyer, I'd ask them about it and the local law...

The choppers are back again tonight, and in brute force.

I counted four of them.

Camera batteries were dead (just my luck). I will try and get a picture next time...