'Drones May Be Our Only Hope of Finding Him'

Eric Blair
Activist Post
Feb. 11, 2013

How many laws, procedures, and civil liberties can the LAPD break in their crazed manhunt for Chris Dorner? It seems there is no end.

Their shoot first tactic that resulted in two injured parties and likely a massive lawsuit for the taxpayers is the most obvious. Then you have warrantless checkpoints and house-to-house searches which most sleeping Americans consider normal operating procedure in our rights-deficient post-9/11 world.

But as many people predicted, this manhunt for the alleged corruption fighting cop killer is now justifying the use of drones over American skies for police use.

According to the Express:

A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”

The use of drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash for the Mexican border since his rampage began.

He said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

No mention of whether the drones being used to find Dorner are armed, but considering the LAPD's shoot-on-sight policy, and Obama's precedent for killing Americans without due process, it would not be surprising if this manhunt ends with a missile strike. But given their track record so far, they'll likely kill an innocent snow boarder at Big Bear in another case of "mistaken identity".

What's interesting is, as precincts like Seattle and others around the country are banning the use of drones because of their civil liberties consequences, a "successful" demonstration of how drones can be used by local police may cause them to reconsider.

Conveniently, this CBS video came out a few days ago highlighting the increased demand for drones in California police departments:

Dorner's tactics are indefensible. But I have a question for residents of Los Angeles: Who are you more afraid of, Chris Dorner who seems to only be targeting cops, or the LAPD who's targeting anyone fitting the general description of Dorner or his vehicle and will use "all the tools at their disposal"?

Finally, the LAPD appears to be fulfilling Dorner's claims of using excessive force and the use of drones in America is the ultimate abuse of power that has national ramifications, especially if this tactic is portrayed as being successful which we all know it will be.
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Eric Blair runs the website Activist Post.