DHS-Funded Taser Drone Launched in Texas

This thread could fit in many forums. Time will tell if this drone will be used for civil unrest.

Theres not much more to say about this except we are headed down that slope. Next summer it may just be common to see military drones flying over our skies..........

A Department of Homeland Security-funded surveillance drone deployed against insurgents in Afghanistan that can also be used to tase suspects from above has been unveiled by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office and will be operational within a month.

Infowars

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Conroe, Texas, has purchased a ShadowHawk unmanned helicopter, built by Vanguard Defense Industries, using $300,000 in Homeland Security grant money.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Acquires ShadowHawk Unmanned Helicopter

What is a ShadowHawk Drone?

The ShadowHawk is a remotely piloted helicopter that is about 7 feet long and weighs 49 pounds. It is used primarily for reconnaissance. It has an object tacking system that can follow, for example, a vehicle on the road or a person running on foot. It has a video camera and an infrared sensor mounted in the nose. The infrared sensor can detect the body heat of a human being inside a building and at night or the signature of a weapon. It is remotely controlled with a video game style consol. The ShadowHawk could be weaponized, with a taser, a bean bag gun, or something more lethal, to subdue suspects from the air. It can fly at 70 miles an hour and can stay in the air for two and a half hours

The ShadowHawk will be used to aid in the pursuit of fleeing criminals and to help SWAT teams spot an active shooter. The drone can also be used in drug shipment investigations. Firefighters could use the remote controlled helicopter to monitor wildfires, such as afflicted much of Texas during the summer. The search for missing people could be aided as well. There are, however, no current plans to deploy any kind of a weapon on the ShadowHawk.

I think you need to take a look at the crime stats for Conroe Tx.......

Its for 2006 but it gives you an idea of the need if any at all for such drone.......

2006 Crime Stats

That sounds like a slippery slope. I see the benefits for survailance and maybe to follow in difficult conditions. However, weaponising them just sounds dangerous and really wrong. Abuse, malfunctions, not to mention distrust, for me seems like too many things could go wrong.

reply to post by LestatG


I lived in Houston once upon a time and drove back to my home town every weekend which went through Conroe..........Major speed trape........

But their crime stats dont add up for this type of technology.............

It seems more like a test site.............

Wonder how easily one could be shot down? I'm sure someone will try it sooner or later.

especially for a community of 48.000 people a DRONE needs to be used ?
checkout how well the crime statistics evolve using 48.000 people in a 100.000 people statistics.

A Drone is military hardware which does not has to be operated by a sheriffs department.
Let the world know its just ... laughable

In some localitys to qualify for funding of any sort, they are required to buy certain things that they might ordinarily not purchase.

I'm not sure weaponizing a drone is strictly necessary, then again, given whats happening in Texas and Mexico, maybe we're being a bit premature in judging this a bad idea?

I guess we'll see, won't we?

What a surprise, more tax money being used on really important crap, like drones that can taze you from the sky.

So if i'm walking down the street [SNIP], and this drone catches me, I guarantee they would not think twice about tazing my law breaking, terrorist, addict, arse! end sarcasm.

God it makes me sick to my stomach, that people ares starving and yet, we need tazing drones?

$250,000.00

Firefighterers didn't have the money and resources they needed for those wildfires that raged for months on end, one in June and another one July through August. But now they think this drone will help firefighting?

Take THAT you wildfire - Zap, Zap Zap!

Get real.

This latest drone in the Texas arsenal is from a $250,000.00 Department of Homeland [IN]Security grant.

www.kbtx.com...

Houston has it's own drone, of another sort, one of those random civilian killers from the Aghanistan war. It's supposedly to fight illegal aliens. Perry's political rangling "gift" to Texas was getting two of those things in Texas. I have no idea how much they paid for them.

Now, every Po-dunk, backroad, hilly-billy, speed trap town in Texas is going to want their own over-priced, random people-zapper while begging for more national money for firefighting.

reply to post by seagull


Is funny because these technologies are also very vulnerable and no as efficient as they may sound, they can also become and easy target in the air for criminals and their weapons, as we know weapons that criminals across the border have could take the drone easily.

Nothing but waste and abuse as usual, while the nations states are begging for federal money to keep their workers.

"using $300,000 in Homeland Security grant money"

They have $300,000 to spend on law enforcement toys but still can't help the education and job crisis?

TOO MUCH DAMN MONEY IS GOING INTO DEFENSE!!!

Wasn't all the trillions of cash they lost (put into black ops) enough? Ugh... THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I SUPPORT OWS & ASK FOR A CONGRESS OVERHAUL...

STOP SPENDING MY TAX MONEY (GRANTS BS) ON YOUR TOYS!!!

Originally posted by Resinveins

Wonder how easily one could be shot down? I'm sure someone will try it sooner or later.

Wasn't one of these hijacked back in 2009?

Insurgents Hack U.S. Drones

Just think of what will happen if a crime lord gets his hands on one...

I forgot about this drone down in Florida.......



Has anyone seen or heard anymore about the surveillance blimp that was purchased for Ogden Utah?

Blimp

reply to post by Cloudsinthesky

A link for those of us without video...

The maritime service, set to join the new Department of Homeland Security, is planning to deploy flying drones, remote-controlled aircraft similar to those now used for wartime surveillance, to patrol the nation's coastal regions for security threats. Officials say the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, will enable them to extend their reach into offshore waters by monitoring larger areas less expensively and more efficiently.

Not to mention covertly as well...

Source

All to supposedly make it safer for the people but I seriously doubt that. It is surveillance and control and does away with freedom to live a normal life lawfully as it puts all in the same boat as the crimminal. From what I can see this is just a tip of the iceburg of control tactics they have and will use. No free place on earh hardly anymore. Sibbs