Police Confiscation

[ChadDa3mon]

A cop friend of mine sent me this

Police to drone owners: Please don't fly them unless licensed

The article is short on details, but it seems to me, with an admittedly novice understanding of the law, or what went on, that the police were in the wrong here.

Now of course, you don't argue with the police on the scene, I'm not advocating we do that, or anything like it. Just curious, after the fact.

Most of us aren't Licensed, and the FAA "Guidelines" in regards to max height, or flying over people are just that, guidelines. Yes, flying over crowded places is stupid and dangerous, but is it illegal in and of itself? Maybe the police confiscated it under some other generic rule about endangering public health.

Anyone in Grand Rapids know more?

 

[Mark The Droner]

I think the word is registered vice licensed.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

That story is all kinds of wrong. Exactly what I would expect from the sensationalistic media types.

 

[ChadDa3mon]

That story is all kinds of wrong. Exactly what I would expect from the sensationalistic media types.

Just for my own curiosity, are you agreeing the police may have been out of hand, or just upset that the media somehow got the story itself wrong? Maybe both?

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Definitely both. It appears in this situation neither the police nor the media know or have researched the FAA regulations. Unless there was some sort of terra firma laws broken, it all seems like fluff to me.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

See here for the official FAA law enforcement policies - https://www.faa.gov/uas/regulations_policies/media/FAA_UAS-PO_LEA_Guidance.pdf

 

[Mark The Droner]

Here's the cheat sheet (attached) they've been asked to keep in their sun visors...

 

[tcope]

That "article" holds about as much weight as mine where I posted that I saw a unicorn. No details... I just saw a unicorn.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

That "article" holds about as much weight as mine where I posted that I saw a unicorn. No details... I just saw a unicorn.

Just in! That unicorn you saw was only a plastic bag!

Here is a whole herd of em I took a photo of!

Speaking about details... I would love to know on what grounds the UAV's were confiscated.

 

[Kranmc]

Yep - live in Grand Rapids and I'm a criminal defense attorney. GRPD has a Facebook page that posted the news release. It got a lot of flack. The news reports went silent on the issue not long after. The area is heavily traveled by the Aero-Med trauma chopper and there are 2 other helipads on the Amway Grand and JW Marriott hotels within about 10 blocks. Gerald Ford Airport is about 6.5 miles away as a drone flies. So . . . My take is that GRPD wanted to put out this story to chill the flight enthusiasm downtown with the choppers and with the coming holiday fireworks and ArtPrize in September. Given the opportunity, I intend to address the issues with a reasonable prosecutor. I am not completely up on the law, so would appreciate any further FAA legal memos or interpretations that others may have. I have since spoken with the hospital heliport manager- he seems fairly reasonable. He told me they would like some notice in case they do have an in-bound flight for safety sake.