Metro Police Consider Purchasing UAV's

LasVegasNow.com

Military sources say new generations of insect
or bird-sized UAV's are in development at Area 51.

Technology that's been perfected in the war against terror could soon find its way into the hands of local police.

George Knapp, Chief Investigative Reporter
Updated: Feb 15, 2008 09:13 PM

I-Team: Local Police Consider Purchasing UAV's
Metro confirms that it's looking into the purchase of high tech drones that could be tracking your moves from the sky.

While it's not a done deal yet, the I-Team has learned the unmanned crafts are already zipping around above our heads.

Like every other segment of society, it will be a high tech future for lawmen. Metro police are not only looking at how and when to use sophisticated drones, but also other electronic doohickeys that will be bad news for bad guys.

UAV's aren't just spy platforms anymore. In Iraq and Afghanistan, weaponized drones not only look for bad guys, but they can also take them out.

Predators and other UAV's were tested and perfected at Nellis and Creech air bases. Some of the missions overseas are still remotely piloted from southern Nevada.

Military sources say new generations of insect or bird-sized UAV's are in development at Area 51. And now, the expertise honed on Nevada military ranges has filtered into the civilian sector.

In 2004, Lew Aerospace conducted a test flight in Las Vegas as a demo for the FBI. One of Lew's birds were launched from Caesars Palace.

Few, if any, people on the ground noticed as it zipped among the hotels, but judging what the UAV saw, its value to law enforcement has already been proven.

"We have flown for the FBI, we have flown for Norad, we have done border patrol work. Typically, UAV's are used wherever there is the three D's: dull, dangerous, or dirty work," said Lew Aerospace V.P. of Operations, Sandy Mangold. Read story here.

What do you think? Should Metro be flying unmanned planes over Vegas?