LA Sheriff's Department drones on

The Associated Press reports that the LA County Sheriff's Department plans to use drones to catch bad guys and search for lost hikers. "The 5-pound, 3-foot-long drones cost $20,000 to $30,000 each and can beam video images 250 feet to deputies below," according to AP.

According to the FAA, despite being warned that the drones need authorization prior to flight, the Sheriff's Department did a little demo last week, resulting in the FAA clipping the drones, well, wings, if they have them. A spokesman for the FAA said "I wouldn't term us as peeved, but we were definitely surprised." FAA officials shut down future flights until they can determine if they could interfere with other flight patterns.

The sheriff's office droned on about the FAA's intereference, saying "A private citizen can go into a store and buy one of those model airplanes and fly them around. But because we're doing it as a public service, we have to deal with the FAA?"

Hello! Model airplanes weigh, what, 30 pounds? Am I missing something or is the sheriff's department mad 'cause someone took their tinker toys away? I always find it interesting when governmental agencies kvetch about other governmental agencies' interference. Private citizens deal with it every day. What's good for the goose is no doubt good for the gander. Or the drone.

I don't know about you, but I'm flying on Monday and the last thing I want to hear during takeoff is the co-pilot yelling "Watch out for that drone!"

Privacy advocates are concerned. I am too. If you remember my blog entry "Fido's Testicals at Risk," you'll recall that this is the same department that pushed to ensure the LA County Board of Idiots mandated spaying and neutering, with a few exceptions, all dogs in the county. I think the sheriffs will be using the drones to spotlight dogs in yards to determine if they've been properly neutered.

Hide, Fido! The drone is coming!