Your Opinion Of This Police Harassment Of Drone Pilot:

[Scoddy71]

The problem is you're looking at this as though this encounter was about drones. It wasn't. It was about private security from an animal mill using local law enforcement to harass animal rights activists who were bothering them. The fact that a drone was involved was incidental.

No. That isn't a problem at all. It is what it is. Some of you are in denial. Steve Hindi doesn't value his anonymity so can we stop that avenue of discussion? Seriously. He's a (famous) drone pilot deciding to fight tooth-and-nail on the side of the road, so he can test authorities and their knowledge of ALL laws and regulations at ALL times, and this isn't just a normal John Q Public. He sets out at the beginning of the day with the genuine HOPES of an encounter with property owners AND cops. It's an unreasonable standard to hold LEOs. Showing your ID is not a conviction or admission of any crime. Showing your ID is no inconvenience for crying out loud. Additionally, don't whine and cry about some contrived inconvenience of showing your ID or cops learning your identity. If you have time to sit on the road for an hour and then go to jail, then you have time to whip out your ID. I honestly don't see how some people even leave the house everyday. Do you wear disguises too? What if someone figures out who you are?

Lastly, if you DO succeed in your mission of garnering the attention of property owners AND cops, but freak out over whether or not they find out who you are, don't post the video on YouTube on your Channel with 90,000 subscribers introducing yourself as Steve Hindi!

The funny thing is, the guy is on a mission. He wants to shame people he views as violators and he wants laws to change. To that end, I think it would be much more advantageous for him to have Law Enforcement on his side as opposed to alienating them. Just my opinion.

 

[ftttu]

No. That isn't a problem at all. It is what it is. Some of you are in denial. Steve Hindi doesn't value his anonymity so can we stop that avenue of discussion? Seriously. He's a (famous) drone pilot deciding to fight tooth-and-nail on the side of the road, so he can test authorities and their knowledge of ALL laws and regulations at ALL times, and this isn't just a normal John Q Public. He sets out at the beginning of the day with the genuine HOPES of an encounter with property owners AND cops. It's an unreasonable standard to hold LEOs. Showing your ID is not a conviction or admission of any crime. Showing your ID is no inconvenience for crying out loud. Lastly, don't whine and cry about some contrived inconvenience of showing your ID or cops learning your identity. If you have time to sit on the road for an hour and then go to jail, then you have time to whip out your ID. I honestly don't see how some people even leave the house everyday. Do you wear disguises too? What if someone figures out who you are?

Lastly, if you DO succeed in your mission of garnering the attention of property owners AND cops, but freak out over whether or not they find out who you are, don't post the video on YouTube on your Channel with 90,000 subscribers introducing yourself as Steve Hindi!

The funny thing is, the guy is on a mission. He wants to shame people he views as violators and he wants laws to change. To that end, I think it would be much more advantageous for him to have Law Enforcement on his side as opposed to alienating them. Just my opinion.

Hear! Hear!

I further decree...that I will post no further responses to this thread due to having no further desire to discuss this incident with emotionally driven posters.

We will always need zealots like these to show the world there shouldn't be any consequences of invading people's privacy and their private property with an annoying device - a device which could intentionally, recklessly or accidentally cause personal injury or property damage.

No one likes being "harassed" by the cops, especially while being a do-gooder. No one likes being stopped, detained, verbally warned, cited, arrested, jailed, property confiscated, forced used against, etc by anyone, let alone the cops. But since we humans can't work and play well with others, if not the cops...then who?

 

[Les Davidson]

Wrong their sir. Like in the US, us Brits have human rights. Two of those rights are a right to anonymity and a right not to say anything. However, if you're driving a car and you're stopped, you're required to produce your driving licence as you have a contract to do so with the DVLA.

Only If the police have reasonable suspicion that you've committed an offence (they must have evidence or a warrant) can they demand your details (you're likely to have been arrested at this point anyway, otherwise they can only request your details and a request can be declined. Refusing to identify yourself is not an offence and does not warrant an arrest.

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[Les Davidson]

I do not mind giving my details to the police. In the UK if an officer asks me to provide details I will. What is the problem, I am sure American police are the same.


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[MikeK]

The problem is you're looking at this as though this encounter was about drones. It wasn't. It was about private security from an animal mill using local law enforcement to harass animal rights activists who were bothering them. The fact that a drone was involved was incidental.

Thank you for clearing this issue up in one succinct paragraph!

But there still will be arguments from the submissive types who simply cannot countenance anything but timid compliance with the demands of a uniformed authority figure -- regardless of any peripheral circumstances.

 

[MikeK]

I do not mind giving my details to the police. In the UK if an officer asks me to provide details I will. What is the problem, I am sure American police are the same.

Actually not.

With few exceptions, the relationship between American citizens and authority figures in no way compares with that of the Brits. Never did and never will. In fact a major provocation for the American Revolution was the behavior of the British Regulars toward the Colonials during the "redcoats'" routine patrols.

Of course there were the Tories who thought the rebels should be more cooperative with and submissive toward authority regardless of any circumstances. But there were some, such as Mr. Thomas Paine, who disagreed with that.

And here we are.

 

[mdowney58]

Because in this country there is supposed to be a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, which a lot of people have forgotten. I blame the social media effect on that.

If that were factual, then no-one would ever be arrested would they? How could someone be arrested if they are presumed innocent?
It is in a court of law, when someone has been charged with a crime, that they are presumed innocent by the court until the prosecution has proven the guilty.

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[AlecW]

I do not mind giving my details to the police. In the UK if an officer asks me to provide details I will. What is the problem, I am sure American police are the same.

Having lived in both countries you are wrong.

A couple of years a go a few buddies and I were out shooting in the mountains and ranger rick came on by. He wanted us to show ID and we all told him to take a hike. It was pretty funny we had about 25 firearms on some camping tables including 5 or 6 ARs a bunch of shot guns, a few .22 long guns some handguns and probably 2000 rounds between us. Ranger rick got back in his truck and promptly left giving us the evil eye

 

[Foosy]

A wise person does not get into the trouble that an intelligent person knows how to get out of.

Not only did the drone operator not provide an ID, but he did not help the cops understand they were making a mistake. A simple showing of the FAA regulations would have cleared the issue, if not showing the ID was so important to them.

But, these people were on a mission against the farm, and this confrontation is not about drones. It is about getting more views on their YouTube channel, to help promote their cause. And in that regard, and that regard only, they succeeded!


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[Vzr1]

Regardless of what "your" rights are why try and be a hero arguing with the cops? They asked a simple question and old mate got all exciting cause he was on camera, a 2 Minute episode turned into a drama scene...... those cops certainly had more patients then me lol

 

[MikeK]

MikeK, perfectly nice people have killed and injured many LEOs. Not all cop killers look and act like cop killers. Also, people who never ever thought the could kill or assault an officer have done just that.[...]

Rather than make this effort to defend the plainclothes nitwit who ordered the SHARK fellow to, "Get away from the police car because there are weapons in it," I'm surprised you, as a former LEO, are not embarrassed by that.

Does this cop's absurd action suggest there were unsecured weapons in an unsecured police car? Or was he actually expecting that benign and peaceful SHARK fellow might fly into a psychotic rage, break into the police car, tear the weapons from their secure platforms and launch a terrorist attack? Or did he, and do you, really think the average civilian is naive enough to be swayed by such contrived, unnecessary nonsense?

 

[MikeK]

Aside from the civil rights issue (whether there was PC to stop someone and ask for ID), there appears to be a very uncomfortable relationship between the farm security and local LE.

Ask yourself this... If you spotted an aerial platform either over or near your property doing some kind of surveillance, do you think if you called the police you'd get that kind of response? And would you then be allowed to mingle in with the police as they questioned the 'suspects'?

You can see how the 'suspect' cameraman has orders barked at him to get back and stay away (all in the name of officer safety), but the farm personell were able to stand wherever they wanted - even chumming it up with the LEOs. That relationship seems a bit too cozy. And if the 'suspects' saw that, they SHOULD be even more reluctant to provide their ID, and the assumption has to be that this information will immediately get handed over to the farm personell.

It's not as black and white as the suspects "playing stupid games". If I were them, I too would have serious reservations of handing my home address to the cops knowing the farm personell are standing right behind them.

Well said and right on point.

 

[42FrankZ]

If that were factual, then no-one would ever be arrested would they? How could someone be arrested if they are presumed innocent?
It is in a court of law, when someone has been charged with a crime, that they are presumed innocent by the court until the prosecution has proven the guilty.

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Follow the quotes.

Everyone assumes that because some "conservation" group is monitoring the business it must be doing something illegal.

And even people who are arrested are presumed innocent until found guilty.

Of course with all the lawyers and judges on the Internet we might was well arrest the whole country cause everyone knows everyone else is guilty.

 

[Slackware]

My impression of what happened here is the private security staff of a breeding farm for research animals called upon the New York State Police to investigate the flight of a drone over the farm's property -- and the police complied.

I believe the police were as wrong as two left feet in this example. What is your opinion?

if you are not at that moment driving a car, then there is no reason to have id on you. you can't show something to a cop if you do not have it. Keep the car locked, and keep the id locked in gun safe in the locked car. Don't be confrontational, just have no way to comply is the easy way to do it.
"I do not answer questions without my lawyer present." takes care of them asking your name.

 

[Slackware]

I saw this video before running into this thread and if I were the driver, I would've just shown him my driver's license and that's it. I would've not wasted 1 plus hour going back and forth with them.

I would have just flown the drone again and ignored them.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

Everyone assumes that because some "conservation" group is monitoring the business it must be doing something illegal.

[...]

Not so.

I would assume there is some suspicion, thus the investigation, and I don't think I'm alone in that disposition. If SHARK is investigating Marshall Farms the one thing I do assume is they have good reason because these are sensible, intelligent, responsible people who are serving a decent and admirably humane purpose. I've done done a quick Google research of the SHARK group and found not a single negative comment.

 

[Slackware]

I do not mind giving my details to the police. In the UK if an officer asks me to provide details I will. What is the problem, I am sure American police are the same.


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no, we don't have police, we have THUGS with badges. That is why we need to be armed.

 

[Slackware]

Having lived in both countries you are wrong.

A couple of years a go a few buddies and I were out shooting in the mountains and ranger rick came on by. He wanted us to show ID and we all told him to take a hike. It was pretty funny we had about 25 firearms on some camping tables including 5 or 6 ARs a bunch of shot guns, a few .22 long guns some handguns and probably 2000 rounds between us. Ranger rick got back in his truck and promptly left giving us the evil eye

I got out of a speeding ticket. dumb cop told me to empty my pockets on his car hood. 5 guns 250 rounds later he told me to stop, pick it all up and get lost.
He asked me if I had any weapons, I told him I don't know maybe. LOL

 

[FATWOOD]

100% brought that onto yourselves and realistically had no right flying over private property at the request of the land owner

 

[Pharm]

Common sense seems to prove the old adage of catching more flies with honey. Years ago, I was speeding back to work at midnight on an empty stretch of road. I'd forgotten to lock the door of the business when I left and wanted to go back and secure the building, as a responsible employee would. I didn't see the cop until he lit me up. Stupidly, I got out of the vehicle. Here's what the cop saw: a long-haired teen in a van, speeding, expired tags, and the ONLY thing in the back of the van was a TV set I'd taken to work to watch the game that night. The cop was a class A jerk. At one point, he looked under my seat and saw what he thought was a pistol. He pulled his gun on me and frisked me. Within seconds, there were 7 or 8 other police vehicles there. At no point did I argue with him or refuse any of his requests. The gun was an old, rusty BB gun that I'd long since lost. Once he and his backups discovered this, he lectured me about how he could still charge me with carrying a concealed weapon, etc. Again, I complied with all his requests. I had no record,etc. Finally, all his backups left and it was just him and me. Because of my attitude, he ONLY wrote me a ticket for the expired tag and we ended up telling jokes and laughing before he left. He had realized I wasn't a jerk or a criminal so his attitude changed. If I had stupidly been belligerent and questioned his authority to stop me and ask for ID, I'd probably still be locked up.

Even though I was not up to some nefarious deed, I could have gotten several tickets AND been arrested if I'd been a jerk back to him. I didn't have time for that so I was nice and compliant and all ended well. He actually turned out to be a nice guy. He came by the business a few weeks later and recognized me. He looked at me and said, "You carrying any concealed weapons?" as he put his hand on his holster. I told him no and laughed. He grinned and said "I'm keepin' my eye on you!" and took his purchase and left.

In all my interactions with the police (which haven't been many), I've always done what they asked and never had a problem. Works for me.