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Home » Concord City Council To Consider Allowing Police To Obtain Drone System

Concord City Council To Consider Allowing Police To Obtain Drone System

by CLAYCORD.com
23 comments

The Concord City Council on Tuesday will consider accepting a $30,000 grant from Marathon Petroleum for the police department to start an unmanned aerial system (UAS) program.

Concord police would join other local departments with drone programs already in place, including Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Lafayette, Richmond, Antioch, and Pittsburg, among others.

The drone program would be managed by a program coordinator designated by the police chief.

Concord has borrowed drones from neighboring agencies the past few years, to track suspects, including an armed man in February 2021 wanted for attempted homicide. The drone was able to identify the man was armed with an assault rifle and assisted officers in making the arrest. Drones have also been used to track suspects through areas not easily accessed by police vehicles.

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Concord police held a series on virtual community meetings earlier this year to help form policy on using drones. The police also formed a committee to research other programs.

A staff report for Tuesday’s meeting says the UAS program will not be used to conduct random surveillance, or carry weapons, or target people based solely on actual or perceived characteristics.

The report says the drones won’t be used “to harass, intimidate, or discriminate against any individual or group” or “in a reckless or negligent manner.” They won’t be used for personal business nor by anyone under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs, as outlined by the FAA.

The Concord City Council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3uXnr10.

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23 comments


Krissy October 12, 2021 - 8:04 AM - 8:04 AM

Yes, Yes, Yes!

Simonpure October 12, 2021 - 8:20 AM - 8:20 AM

Long overdue…Antioch used a drone to rescue a woman stuck in the tall tule weeds just about 10 days ago.

Old Timer October 12, 2021 - 8:23 AM - 8:23 AM

If the city council can get there pockets lined why can’t the police get a free drone.Sounds like a no brainer.

anon October 12, 2021 - 4:53 PM - 4:53 PM

Because it will inevitably be misused for widespread warrantless mass surveillance of law-abiding citizens. Do you really not see where this goes?

Best case scenario it still gets abused to spy on good-looking babes.

Reasonable October 12, 2021 - 8:24 AM - 8:24 AM

Has the odor of “Big Brother”.

Just me October 12, 2021 - 10:26 PM - 10:26 PM

My sentiments exactly.

RANDOM TASK October 12, 2021 - 8:52 AM - 8:52 AM

yay
i am sorry
but you dems approve of pro crime
you voted for pro crime
you kept the newscum for pro crime
you voted for pro crime biden all 81 million of you

so why have a drone division costing hundreds of thousands of dollars
that dem voters dont pay for

the very notion of allowing crime and yet want to allow drones to do exactly what spy on neighbors pool parties

stop the hypocrisy

you won america is dying

enjoy it

stop trying to beat a dead elephant

rejoice oh sorry cant do that in dem society

well throw a doughnut at a wall or somthing

der comisar

Yoyohop October 12, 2021 - 10:27 AM - 10:27 AM

Obama murdered people with drones.

Trump murdered people with drones.

Biden murdered people with drones – the blood of 10 CIVILIANS still warm, in a story that was largely hushed by the media.

And you want to invite flying robots in to your community?
Sure these drones don’t have guns. Not yet.

GameTime007 October 12, 2021 - 8:58 AM - 8:58 AM

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Cellophane October 12, 2021 - 9:34 AM - 9:34 AM

Yes, CPD should have drones.

It’s another great tool that can be used to corral and capture the ne’er-do-well law breakers and keep the citizenry safe.

Now, if only those same ne’er-do-wells could get prosecuted for the crimes they were caught committing.

stove October 12, 2021 - 9:47 AM - 9:47 AM

They will just be used to spy on law abiding citizens when you least expect it……

To Do List October 12, 2021 - 9:48 AM - 9:48 AM

No. Promises and reality are different. On a trivial level, we have stories like the one last year where the police drone operators were hovering over and taking pictures of women at a local isolated unofficial nude beach. Those slime-balls (they were not disciplined cause they pretended someone complained but had no names to provide) did not care about promises made by whoever set up the program. On a more important level, it is one more step towards the world of 1984 as self righteous cops have pointed out that you do not own the airspace above your house so if they want to look in your back window, they have every right to do so. How do they even think like that?

Bob Kazamakis October 12, 2021 - 9:37 PM - 9:37 PM

@Anon

Do you believe that this is their only indiscretion? Do you think that this type of person will not continue to use government assets inappropriately, especially in other ways.

ConcordMike October 12, 2021 - 9:51 AM - 9:51 AM

Yes! I do not fear the police and I have nothing to hide. Wait until code enforcement gets their hands on drones to “evaluate” people’s backyards structures and such. Just kidding. But yes on drones for “crimes in progress”.

BaltB October 12, 2021 - 9:57 AM - 9:57 AM

POST DELETED
Please Note: Users who use multiple names will be deleted. Please choose ONE name so others can easily chat with you.

Ricardoh October 12, 2021 - 10:43 AM - 10:43 AM

The report says the drones won’t be used “to harass, intimidate, or discriminate against any individual or group” or “in a reckless or negligent manner.” Too bad !!

Martinezmike October 12, 2021 - 1:52 PM - 1:52 PM

Contact expert Mark Desaulnier. He can drone on endlessly.

kilo October 12, 2021 - 3:43 PM - 3:43 PM

“Ba-dump…ching!”

– Best comment here!

Same October 12, 2021 - 2:11 PM - 2:11 PM

I think they should call it ED-209.

Two Wheeler October 12, 2021 - 3:08 PM - 3:08 PM

Concord has used drones in the past. And yet, Neighborhood Preservation didn’t kick anyone’s door down afterwards, did they? The drones would be used for SWAT callouts, tracking missing persons, and S&R.

anon October 12, 2021 - 4:57 PM - 4:57 PM

This will be misused within a week of deployment, tops. Today it’s manned drones, five years from now it will be a network of thousands of autonomous drones that record everything from on high at all times, just for safety. Y’know, safety. To keep you safe. It’s all for your safety, citizen.

Jo Jo the Circus Clown October 12, 2021 - 5:07 PM - 5:07 PM

The problem with launching all this new hi tech crap is that there are no regulations or laws established to protect against its misuse or malfunction … A.I. bots routinely cause harms to the public in countless ways and there is little to no redress under the law.

Thunderdome October 13, 2021 - 11:39 AM - 11:39 AM

Seems like a slippery slope. To stop crime…great. However, someday someone in a few years will use them to scan people’s properties to try to find building additions that don’t have permits, unlicensed dogs and whatever other kinds of fines they can acquire…


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