Reardon 1 Jake Reardon Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 March 27, 2013 Attack of the Drones: Should

the United States Government have the right to deploy UAVs? So what exactly is a UAV? Many of you have heard this term from one of the many Call of Duty games and know it as a little plain that displays the location of your enemies on a map. What UAV actually stands for is Unmanned Arial Vehicle, which is a remotely controlled aircraft used for military operations, research and development, and civil and commercial purposes. Recently the United States Government has been considering whether or not to legalize UAVs for domestic use (The UAV). There is much speculation amongst the American public regarding safety and, more importantly, privacy. The main concern Americans have is the ability for the government to spy on them without their knowledge. This fear Americans have might just be a simple overreaction to a new advancement in technology. UAVs have the potential to do more good than harm. Domestic drones can make the United States a safer country and allow for law enforcement and other government agencies to be more efficient at their jobs. The U.S Government should legalize the deployment of domestic drones.( Good, clear thesis, but try combining both sentences.) There are many positive aspects to law enforcement being able to deploy surveillance drones. Ryan Calo, an assistant professor at The University of Washington School of Law, claims that people are overreacting to the possible threats domestic drones pose. Calo states that there is really no such thing as privacy in a public area; which is completely true. Apps such as

Reardon 2 Google Maps and Street View are prime examples. Google has a car with a mounted camera that drives around the country mapping out streets giving the user the ability to view houses and other buildings. All that is needed is a laptop and internet connection. ( Fragment, fuse with previous sentence.) People shouldnt expect to be safeguarded from UAVs if theyre walking down the street (Calo-Drones). Charlie Osborne, a contributing editor of Smart Planet, reports on drones being used for border protection. The Vehicle And Dismount Exploitation Radar, or VADER, is being used along the border of Mexico to detect people illegally entering the United States. Although the VADERs detection facilities would become confused in urban environments, for large swathes of sparse land, this type of technology can be successfully employed to help keep borders secure, as well as give analysts a deeper understanding of the crossings. (Run on sentence) During a three month period, VADER detected around 3,800 people trying to sneak over the U.S.-Mexico border in the Sonoran Desert. Of those 3,800 roughly one half were successfully detained. You may look at that statistic and think its unimpressive but if you consider the fact that this is a very new technology you might change your mind. ( Refrain from using you as often. Instead, Although the statistic seems unimpressive at first, considering precedence of newer technologies there lies potential for the VADER technology.) Whenever a newer technology emerges there are usually various problems and bugs that need to be fixed. 50% may seem like a low percentage but its a good start. As border patrol gets more familiar with the drone technology they will be able to use it more effectively (Osborne). Drones can also be very helpful in search and rescue missions. If someone is lost in a remote area a drone could potentially be the only means of finding the individual. They have the ability to cover a large amount of area in a short amount of time and are far less expensive than

Reardon 3 putting a plain up in the sky (Change plain to plane). UAVs can fly at lower elevations than most search and rescue vehicles. The European 7th Framework Programme has started a project called Close-Search Project, the goal being to design a UAV specifically for search and rescue. The UAV uses thermal imaging technology as well as high tech GPS sensors that are designed specifically for search and rescue. The Close-Search Project is a huge breakthrough in search and rescue technology and will save many lives (Drones to the Rescue!). The deployment of surveillance drones could also be a huge advancement in law enforcement. It can take a team of investigators working around the clock to track a suspected criminal. Recently law enforcement agencies have used GPS tracking devices to follow criminals around, making it relatively easy to keep tabs on someone. There is a big problem with using said GPS devices though. ( To add more flow, try combining sentences to reduce pauses. It ususally takes a long time to track a suspected criminal, but due to recent technology) In order for the police to get a signal they have to physically place a device on an individuals car. The Supreme Court recently ruled the placement of GPS devices on a persons possessions to be unconstitutional unless a warrant is provided. At times warrants can be very hard to obtain. If surveillance drones were deployed the police can bypass the warrant process and tail a suspect at their disposal (Calo-Drones). Many people have deep concerns about being followed by drones, fearing they can potentially get in trouble with the law even when there are no officers around. Ryan Calo states that if you arent doing anything illegal then you have nothing to worry about. The use of drones to detect illegal activity is similar to a police dog. For example, if you were walking through an airport carrying illegal contraband in your bag a police dog could presumably sniff your bag or even your house without a warrant and alert an authority of its findings. ( Use more examples

Reardon 4 such as this to help get your point across. Period goes at the end of the paragraph.) The main point is that law enforcement isnt out to get anyone; theyre just doing their job to make the country a safer place. Drones are just a newer technology they can use to make them better at what they do. (Calo-Drones) UAVs are very cost effective as well. Drones are far less expensive to build and fly than helicopters. Take the Max Model 213 for example; the Max Model 213 (For instance, the Max Model 213) has a very high fuel efficiency that allows it to stay in the air for over 27 hours at one time. The drone can also be equipped with various sensors including; infra-red and other light and heat sensors, radar sensors, ordnance and rescue equipment, and chemical and environmental sensors. The designer of the Max Model 213 has added features that allow the drone to interchange parts. If someone needed the drone to stay in flight for longer times they can detach any sensors they dont need and add more fuel space. ( Last sentence is unnecessary, The designer of the Max Model 213 has added features that allow the drone to interchange parts in order to make room for more fuel.) On the other hand, drones can also pose as a safety risk. Catherine Crump and Jay Stanley, attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, state the potential hazards of unmanned drones flying in commercial airspace. For example, the casualties could be catastrophic if one of the drones were to fly into an airline carrying passengers. Pilots have many ways to divert courses if there is a potential collision by use of radio and other sensors. But (..sensors, but) since there isnt actually anyone piloting the drone from inside the chance of a miscommunication error increases (Crump). These surveillance drones are very small in size as well. Glenn Greenwald, American political journalist for The Guardian, raises concern about the sizes of these drones. What does

Reardon 5 this mean exactly? Domestic drones are small enough to fit in the trunk of a law enforcement vehicle. Drones have the capability to fly in areas where helicopters cant, and they can do so without being detected. (Instead of saying the drones capabilities in two sentences, combine them to allow the paragraph to flow.) This implies that law enforcement can be watching your every move without you being aware youre under surveillance (The Guardian). In most areas where surveillance technology is used there is usually a sign that tells you about it. If not you can at least see that there are cameras watching you. ( Fragment, rephrase or combine with the previous sentence.) There are currently no laws in place that prevent drones from infringing on our privacy rights. The majority of Americans are honest hardworking people. Is there really a need to have the American public constantly under surveillance? The good news is a lot of states have taken that under consideration and some have passed legislation that either bans or regulates the usage of UAVs. The American Civil Liberties Union recommends states pass legislation on five issues; usage limits, data retention, policy, abuse prevention and accountability, and weapons. Usage Limits The ACLU recommends that states pass legislation that makes law enforcement obtain a warrant before they can use a drone. Requiring a warrant would keep law enforcement in check so that they could only use a drone when deemed necessary by a judge. Data Retention Data retention implies that UAVs should only retain images if there is reasonable suspicion that they contain evidence of a crime or unless they are involving an ongoing investigation or trial. This would prevent the government from keeping records of where you are and what youre doing on a daily basis.

Reardon 6 Policy The regulations put in place revolving around drones should be decided by the publics representatives and not law enforcement. The policies should also be very clear and precise as well as open for the public to read at any given time. That way there can be no confusion about what law enforcement exactly is and is not allowed to use drones for. Abuse Prevention and Accountability Abuse prevention and accountability call for drones to be subject to open audits and proper monitoring to prevent misuse. This insures that law enforcement wont take advantage of the power they have and exploit citizens that arent causing any harm to anything. Weapons Weapon legislation would prevent law enforcement from attaching both lethal and nonlethal weapons on drones. If there is no weaponry attached to the drones then they are physically unable to hurt someone. (ACLU). Privacy seems to be the main concern amongst U.S. citizens. But as you can see from the information you now know that it can all be fixed with just some simple regulation. There are too many positive aspects of drone technology for our government not to allow for the use of them. There are only a few downsides to this advancement in technology that, when closely examined, arent even all that bad. All of the negatives associated with drone technology can be easily fixed; it will just take a little time. I feel that the American public will be a lot more open about drones when some regulation is established. The U.S. government should allow the deployment of domestic drones. Our country will be a better, safer place if our government utilized UAVs.

Reardon 7

Works Cited

Author. "Title of the Web Page." Title of the Overall Web Site. Version or Edition. Publisher or Sponsor, Date. Web. Date of Access. "Bad laws would hurt good drones - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/05/opinion/calo-drones>. "Drones to the Rescue! | Inside GNSS."Inside GNSS | Engineering Solutions from the Global Navigation Satellite System Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.insidegnss.com/node/3122>. Crump, Catherine. "Domestic surveillance drone bans are sweeping the nation. - Slate Magazine." Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts - Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.

Reardon 8 <http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/02/domestic_surveillance_ drone_bans_are_sweeping_the_nation.html>. " Domestic drones and their unique dangers | Glenn Greenwald | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk ." Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/29/domestic-drones-uniquedangers>. "The UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.."The UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.theuav.com>. Osborne, Charlie. "U.S. border patrol uses drones to detect desert runners | SmartPlanet." SmartPlanet - Innovative Ideas That Impact Your World. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/us-border-patrol-uses-drones-to-detectdesert-runners/16836>. "Domestic Drones | American Civil Liberties Union." American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/domestic-drones>.

Reardon 9