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Monday, 05 March 2012

Texas: Police Drone vs. Armored SWAT Vehicle

Can't make this stuff up.  A humerous vignette on the militarization of US police forces (up 5x from the start of this century).   

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The police force of Montgomery County Texas (north of Houston) was one of the first in the nation to own a drone.  It cost $300k, funded largely using grant money from the DHS (Department of Homeland Security).  

Police Drone

While using it take pictures of its SWAT team using its armored personnel carrier (BearCat), it ran into problems.  The drone lost contact with the control module.  During it's emergency landing it crashed into the SWAT armored vehicle. 

NOTE:  More from the Examiner.  The General Accounting Office estimates that 65% of all drone crashes are mechanical failures vs. 17% for operator error.  The rest unknown.  That ratio will reverse as the airframe matures.  

Posted at 02:18 PM |

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