Interesting LAPD try to explain the law to drone pilot

[Suwaneeguy]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI5ER1g5UKw[/youtube]

Just for fun, a pilot flies over the hollywood pd building and area standing right in front of the building.
Flies over the parking lot for a few minutes.
Then gets confronted over his actions.

My question would be, officer? If I were to be across the street standing at the top of a 100 foot tall ladder and taking photos of the parking lot would you arrest me for trespassing?

 

[StangLuvr]

People like this give quadcopter pilots a bad name. People that walk around with assault rifles and hope the cops confront them piss me off too.

 

[Meta4]

This is Tom Zebra. He doesn't do anything"just for fun".
He makes a career out of annoying cops.

 

[PhantomFanatic]

NEVER, repeat NEVER argue with Law Enforcement! You will ALWAYS lose, even if the law is on your side! I know.
This is a stupid video, what was accomplished? Whatever a cop says IS the law at that point in time.

Do as I did once, not about drones, but the law was on my side!! That didn't keep me from spending a night and the next day in jail. I saw the judge, but he actually turned his back on me as I talked! Bottom line? The judge said: "Whatever you did, don't do it again."

But, I was innocent and I should have at least gotten an apology from someone. The cop's partner admitted his partner made a mistake. As I was drug handcuffed out of the bar, I asked what did I do? One guy said: You danced with his girlfriend!" I danced once, with her. Then, I joined 8 people at a table. I was SO pissed and I was sure that Internal Affairs would be on my side. Wrong.

The 'officer' walked from the far entrance into the bar. I hadn't noticed him before, but he was zeroed in on me! I was sitting with others, I was out of town on work and I left my company car keys in my motel room. Sure enough, he walked by everyone and told me: "It is time to leave!" The band jus rot said that was the end of their set, but the bar was open for two more hours.

I was very embarrassed and without thinking, I did the raspberry sound. Meveryone at the table laughed. Then, someone reached around from behind me and grabbed my shirt. This SOB just made a huge mistake as I had been body building for 10 years. I stood up, reached around and grabbed the poor *******'s shirt. I turned around and saw that it was the cop. I put my hands behind my back and 'allowed' him to handcuff me. I say allowed, because if he wasn't a cop, he would be going to the ER!

The singer in the bed, knew me as we had been working there for two weeks. I was slammed over the hood, for effect, I guess because he didn't search me. I was put in the backseat. I was in shock and my grandfather died a week before. I'm not ashamed to say that I was crying. The singer came out and asked what he could do. I asked him to contact my working partner in room ....

I didn't see him, but he told me, the next day, that he said to the cop: "I know him, he wouldn't have done anything wrong!!" The cop told him to shut up or he would go to jail too. There is more, but you have the Reader's Digest version.


I know nice cops and shitty ones. Do NOT ever challenge their authority (or what they think it is) nor should you qoute the law. You will lose. There was no record of this arrest, but I deserved an apology. I never got one.

Forgive me, but doing as was done, in the video, was just plain stupid...

 

[MadMitch88]

Do NOT ever challenge their authority (or what they think it is) nor should you qoute the law. You will lose.

Soooo, basically you're saying we should enjoy living in a fascist police state where authority is never questioned?

Funny, but I thought a whole bunch of people fought and died many years ago to make sure that didn't happen in the United States of America.

 

[J.James]

I dont see were any one did any thing wrong or in any way out of line. Not the dude or the cops.

 

[mendezl]

He crossed into their property. It is traspassing clear and simple. The question is at what height is the airspace no longer considered private property?

 

[Andrey320]

Really? Keeping them accountable by peeping in their parking lot... right....

 

[locoworks]

He crossed into their property. It is traspassing clear and simple. The question is at what height is the airspace no longer considered private property?

at a guess id say the 400 feet you arent allowed above? But is the police property private, or is it publicly owned by government

 

[Hughie]

Without a commercial licence, this would not have even been a debate in the UK . You can't fly within 50m of a building or structure or vehicle even without a camera. End of.

 

[crash1sttime]

Without a commercial licence, this would not have even been a debate in the UK . You can't fly within 50m of a building or structure or vehicle even without a camera. End of.

Please quite correctly, any building structure person or vehicle not in your control.

There is a difference, if I own the building or if I have permission to fly over it then it is acceptable

 

[Hughie]

Without a commercial licence, this would not have even been a debate in the UK . You can't fly within 50m of a building or structure or vehicle even without a camera. End of.

Please quite correctly, any building structure person or vehicle not in your control.

There is a difference, if I own the building or if I have permission to fly over it then it is acceptable

You are "quote" right

But in the context of the thread it is a bit of a stretch to argue that the pilot was in control of the police station.

Nevertheless your point is otherwise correct.

 

[PhantomFanatic]

Do NOT ever challenge their authority (or what they think it is) nor should you qoute the law. You will lose.

Soooo, basically you're saying we should enjoy living in a fascist police state where authority is never questioned?

Funny, but I thought a whole bunch of people fought and died many years ago to make sure that didn't happen in the United States of America.

Of course not! If you want to lose your freedom to prove a point, go for it! Maybe I'll even write you through the years you spend in jail.

 

[ianwood]

Without a commercial licence, this would not have even been a debate in the UK . You can't fly within 50m of a building or structure or vehicle even without a camera. End of.

The guy who flew over the LAPD is known to instigate problems and would have done so regardless. Fortunately, we don't need a commercial license to fly in an urban environment.

I will say that in the numerous flights I have done in and around LA, I have never had an issue with LAPD. Not once. On a couple of flights, I've had LAPD ask questions but they've always done so in a non-disruptive manner and with professionalism.

Seems they did the same even when confronted by a bunch tin foil hat wearing kids flying over the precinct.

 

[Fyod]

As they were here.
This behavior is not necessarily unlawful, but downright disrespectful and uncalled for. I cannot see a reason why anyone would try to test the patience of a police station and keep them from doing more important work.

I too have had police watch over my shoulder and ask the questions usual onlookers have.

 

[sdtrojan]

I think the LAPD are being very reasonable here, polite and professional. Maybe because cameras are recording them, who knows?

They were definitely trespassing in most reasonable people's definition of the word. I would never fly like that. I don't know much about Tom Zebra or his schtick, but I really don't think he has much grasp on the law, the constitution, or reality. Wanna defend free speech? Go enlist!

 

[Suwaneeguy]

I"m not advacating that this action was proper or legal. I posted it to show that this is one thing that can happen when you do.
The only things the cops were pointing out was that he could not enter, on foot, into the property without permission.
One of the first things the first cop said was, "I wish I had one of those things.".

Now what is the legality behind a "fly over"?
Trespassing and related laws refer to human beings. Not aircraft.
Aircraft are restricted by "no fly zones".

As a property owner, do you own the rights to the airspace above it?
Not in the USA.

As the man asked, "Do you cite pilots of manned aircraft that fly over this property for trespassing?"

I rent a helicopter for an hour and I want the pilot to hover over that property while i get video of the property.
Can I be cited for trespassing? Not in this country.

If that were me, I have gone down a block or two then do a fly over.
No chance of them citing me for trespassing.
They can try.

As for challenging cops, I do it when ever i feel they are wrong.
Cops are not always right.

I'll be damned if I'm gonna get charged for some **** stupid thing that isn't even a law.

 

[ianwood]

I rent a helicopter for an hour and I want the pilot to hover over that property while i get video of the property.
Can I be cited for trespassing? Not in this country.

in the State of California, if you're intention is to film a private property via the air, you can be cited for invasion of privacy:

A person is liable for constructive invasion of privacy when the
defendant attempts to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable
person, any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical
impression of the plaintiff engaging in a personal or familial activity under
circumstances in which the plaintiff had a reasonable expectation of privacy,
through the use of any device, regardless of whether there is a physical
trespass, if this image, sound recording, or other physical impression could
not have been achieved without a trespass unless the device was used.

 

[Questor]

in the State of California, if you're intention is to film a private property via the air, you can be cited for invasion of privacy:

Is a Police station private property given that it is payed for by citizens, and used by public servants?

Q~

 

[ianwood]

Is a Police station private property given that it is payed for by citizens, and used by public servants?

Q~

Nuclear weapon launch sites are paid for by citizens and used by public servants. There are good reasons why certain areas should not be overflown. It only takes a little common sense.