Local cops use Predator drone to arrest ND family

[tinydancer]

This is unreal. The cops were allowed to use a predator drone to arrest an "anti government" family who had kept $6,000. worth of cattle that had wandered on to their land.

The "anti government" family refused to return the cattle. That's how this whole mess started. You have to read this story.

ETA Important update: The Sheriff wanted to go whole hog on this.

Check out what else is coming out.

Armed with a search warrant, Nelson County Sheriff Kelly Janke went looking for six missing cows on the Brossart family farm in the early evening of June 23. Three men brandishing rifles chased him off, he said.

Janke knew the gunmen could be anywhere on the 3,000-acre spread in eastern North Dakota.

Fearful of an armed standoff, he called in reinforcements from the state Highway Patrol, a regional SWAT team, a bomb squad, ambulances and deputy sheriffs from three other counties.

He also called in a Predator B drone.

All for a few cows. I put good money this Sheriff has had a hard on family for a long time.

And would anyone like to take a guess at what it cost to use the drone? I don't have a clue, but I'd sure like to find out.

Here's the link.

Local cops used Predator drone to arrest North Dakota farm family for 'stealing 6 cows' | Mail Online

Allowing local sheriffs and police chiefs access to spy planes happened without public discussion or the approval of Congress. And it has privacy advocates crying foul, saying the unregulated use of the drones is intrusive.

'There is no question that this could become something that people will regret,' former Rep Jane Harman, a Democrat, told the Los Angles Times.

The sheriff says that might not have been possible without the intelligence from the Predators.

'We don't have to go in guns blazing. We can take our time and methodically plan out what our approach should be,' Sheriff Janke told the Times.

All of the surveillance occurred without a search warrant because the Supreme Court has long ruled that anything visible from the air, even if it's on private property, can be subject to police spying.

However, privacy experts say that predator drones, which can silently fly for 20 hours nonstop, dramatically surpasses the spying power that any police helicopter or airplane can achieve.

 

[rightwinger]

arrest?

If they are antigovernment traitors, that Predator should have been armed with Hellfire missiles

 

[Dr Grump]

Having read the story, don't have a problem with it. If it had been their first option, there are a tonne of privacy issues at stake. However, they did try and do it all peacefully first, but were confronted by the sons' with their rifles.

I find it more weird/worrying they were arrested for not reporting the cows coming onto their property. Not their fault. As long as they didn't slaughter them, why is it incumbant on them to report it? Sure, if the owner turned up and wanted them back and the family wouldn't the animals to be returned, I can understand....

 

[Avatar4321]

arrest?

If they are antigovernment traitors, that Predator should have been armed with Hellfire missiles

So you want to kill a family for allegedly stealing six cows?

 

[rightwinger]

arrest?

If they are antigovernment traitors, that Predator should have been armed with Hellfire missiles

So you want to kill a family for allegedly stealing six cows?

Our founding fathers would have lynched cattle thieves

Hanging is too good for them

 

[tinydancer]

arrest?

If they are antigovernment traitors, that Predator should have been armed with Hellfire missiles

No trial? Nice.

I can see that Obama can have a hey day on home turf then. Just accuse some one of being an "anti government" person and blow them to kingdom come.

 

[Avatar4321]

arrest?

If they are antigovernment traitors, that Predator should have been armed with Hellfire missiles

So you want to kill a family for allegedly stealing six cows?

Our founding fathers would have lynched cattle thieves

Hanging is too good for them

No, they likely would have hanged them. But after a trial by jury.

 

[tinydancer]

So now the Administration without Congressional approval potentially arm local law enforcement?

 

[rightwinger]

Any difference in a Predator drone and a surveillance helicopter or a satellite?

 

[Conservative]

Border Patrol drone was used to arrest Brossarts | Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota

Congress first authorized Customs and Border Protection to buy unarmed Predators in 2005. Officials in charge of the fleet cite broad authority to work with police from budget requests to Congress that cite “interior law enforcement support” as part of their mission.

For decades, courts have allowed law enforcement to conduct aerial surveillance without a warrant, ruling that what a person does in the open, even behind a backyard fence, can be seen from a passing plane and is not protected. Advocates say Predators are simply more effective than other planes.

I'm ok with this.

 

[Si modo]

What happened to posse comitatus?

What has and is happening to our Constitution?

 

[tinydancer]

What happened to posse comitatus?

What has and is happening to our Constitution?

From what I have been reading about this National Defense Authorization Act everybody in Washington is so hell bent on passing, I'd say it's being flushed down the drain by those power trippers on the Hill.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Any difference in a Predator drone and a surveillance helicopter or a satellite?

If just a Sheriffs helicopter was used to investigate this "Six Cow Caper" wouldn't you be upset? Don't you think an expensive resource like that could be used for better purposes?

If a Helicopter would be overkill then what would you call a Predator Drone?

 

[tinydancer]

Any difference in a Predator drone and a surveillance helicopter or a satellite?

If just a Sheriffs helicopter was used to investigate this "Six Cow Caper" wouldn't you be upset? Don't you think an expensive resource like that could be used for better purposes?

If a Helicopter would be overkill then what would you call a Predator Drone?

I'd love to know what the cost of this "Moo Sting" operation was.

$6,000 worth of beef "Operation on the Hoof" vs how much?.

 

[tinydancer]

All of the surveillance occurred without a search warrant because the Supreme Court has long ruled that anything visible from the air, even if it's on private property, can be subject to police spying.

i get to fly over area-51 then correct?

Go ahead and see what happens if you try to fly over Merritt Island.

 

[grunt11b]

So now the Administration without Congressional approval potentially arm local law enforcement?

Does it really surprise you any?

 

[tinydancer]

So now the Administration without Congressional approval potentially arm local law enforcement?

Does it really surprise you any?

Sadly no, but I sure as hell didn't expect the number of people I'm witnessing being ok with it.

I remember all the dead men, women and children at WACO quite vividly. Maybe others don't. And to me a predator drone being used in a situation where only $6000. worth of cow flesh is at stake (no pun intended) seems more than "over the top".

 

[Chris]

I like it.

We need more drones spying on theives.

 

[MikeK]

What happened to posse comitatus?
The precedent which put an end to that protection was established during the Waco Massacre by the use of military equipment (helicopters and tanks) and the active presence of military advisors.

What has and is happening to our Constitution?

It has been successfully compromised, mainly via the counterproductive subterfuge of fighting the War On Drugs, which is in fact a war on the Constitution and on the American People.

Since Ronald Reagan commenced this deadly fiasco over three decades ago America's community police agencies have been transformed into paramilitary strike forces with capabilities that extend well beyond those of Hitler's SS. Not only does the federal government subsidize local and state police departments with funds to buy such paramilitary gear as the intimidating "RoboCop" outfits we've become increasingly familiar with, the Pentagon has been supplying them with all sorts of military equipment, from M-16s to tanks, armored cars, night vision devices, sniper rifles, helicopters, and more. Most of this equipment is "donated" gratis, the rest is provided at extremely discounted "surplus" rates.

I am old enough to remember a time in America when the police wouldn't dare execute a break-in warrant except under the most exigent life or death circumstances. Today these break-ins are taking place on a daily basis all over the U.S. and for such trivial reasons as suspected marijuana sales! SWAT team's shooting of Marine causes outrage - Yahoo! News Last year there were more than 42,000 no-knock break-ins conducted, many of which were mistakenly executed on the wrong premises, some of which resulted in the death of innocent persons -- the police are not held accountable for any of this.

Those who find that hard to believe should read the well-documented Cato Institute report, which is available here: http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/balko_whitepaper_2006.pdf

 

[occupied]

Think of the difficulty of looking for 6 particular cows in ND. While it seems excessive and silly it will be the impressive feat of finding 6 cows that will used when selling these things to the states and counties.