# Armed Police Drones in ND **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 27, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117 "2015-08-27T23:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/1 "2015-08-27T23:53:15Z")
[North Dakota Legalizes Armed Police Drones](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/27/435301160/north-dakota-legalizes-armed-police-drones?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news&uidt=1440718639#commentBlock) > [@](#): > > Though the law limits the type of weapons permitted to those of the “less-than-lethal” variety — weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bags, pepper spray and Tasers — the original bill actually aimed to ensure that no weapons at all were allowed on law enforcement drones. > … > “‘I submitted with prohibition of any weapons,’ he said. 'The law enforcement lobby offered an amendment and said that if the amendments were added, they would not oppose. The committee accepted amendments and I didn’t fight them because I wanted the bill to pass at least to require warrants…” Police cite _Fargo_ as evidence of need for armed drones. I would love to hear the law enforcement lobby’s justification for the need in fucking North Dakota. Is the Canadian influx that bad? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/2 "2015-08-28T18:21:13Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > [North Dakota Legalizes Armed Police Drones](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/27/435301160/north-dakota-legalizes-armed-police-drones?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news&uidt=1440718639#commentBlock) > > Police cite _Fargo_ as evidence of need for armed drones. I would love to hear the law enforcement lobby’s justification for the need in fucking North Dakota. Is the Canadian influx that bad? Actually, I think they’ve had a crime spike related to the oil boom. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/3 "2015-08-28T18:28:55Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > [North Dakota Legalizes Armed Police Drones](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/27/435301160/north-dakota-legalizes-armed-police-drones?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news&uidt=1440718639#commentBlock) > > Police cite _Fargo_ as evidence of need for armed drones. I would love to hear the law enforcement lobby’s justification for the need in fucking North Dakota. Is the Canadian influx that bad? Just because Fargo and North Dakota in general isn’t a crime ridden hell hole like Queens doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the means to protect their citizens. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/4 "2015-08-28T19:35:02Z")
I guess their citizens are currently unprotected (depending on how fast ND rolls out armed drones). The more my NYC police arm themselves, the less protected I feel. Obviously the **Republican** legislator sponsoring the bill agrees with me; he just had to capitulate to the lobbyists to get the support needed to protect No. Dakotans right not to be spied up by their police department on a whim. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/5 "2015-08-28T19:51:18Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Police cite _Fargo_ as evidence of need for armed drones. Seems like all you’d need is a drone that can disable wood chippers. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/6 "2015-08-29T00:32:31Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I guess their citizens are currently unprotected (depending on how fast ND rolls out armed drones). I’d be willing to bet there’s a high rate of gun ownership in ND. Hunting is probably a common activity there. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/7 "2015-08-29T00:35:59Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I’d be willing to bet there’s a high rate of gun ownership in ND. Hunting is probably a common activity there. Then the drones are screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/8 "2015-08-29T01:20:10Z")
It’s to keep those damned icebacks from coming across the border. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/9 "2015-08-29T01:31:54Z")
So people can bring down the drone and score some fun “non lethal” toys. A police drone has a more limited ( camera ) field of view, audio, general situational awareness. So I see the possibility for more mistakes. Miss fires, bad targeting. Mass targeting. Being a police officer is a difficult, dangerous job. But distancing the officer from the citizens makes the officer a more dangerous force. Be it technology or training that infers an us and them mentality. More distance between us and them, dehumanizes both. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/10 "2015-08-29T01:37:17Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I’d be willing to bet there’s a high rate of gun ownership in ND. Hunting is probably a common activity there. So the citizenry is protected, and the police don’t really need armed drones to protect North Dakotans. I’m really not seeing why the law enforcement lobby would push for this other than they get new toys to terrorize the citizenry. And all they had to give up was now they’ll have to get warrants to do so _legally_. Because we all know that police departments never use their ability to access information in an extra-legal manner. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/11 "2015-08-29T01:38:43Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Then the drones are screwed. Ya know, that was actually my first thought. Full disclosure: Half my family is from ND, originally. So I see a lot of Facebook feeds. Yeah, when a normal weekend activity is shooting pheasant, why not a drone? Maybe you have to lead them more? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/12 "2015-08-29T03:00:30Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Just because Fargo and North Dakota in general isn’t a crime ridden hell hole like Queens doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the means to protect their citizens. Queens isn’t a crime ridden hell hole. Hell, western Queens is on the cusp of becoming Bloombergized into the next Manhattan Disney wonderland. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/13 "2015-08-29T03:15:37Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Queens isn’t a crime ridden hell hole. Hell, western Queens is on the cusp of becoming Bloombergized into the next Manhattan Disney wonderland. Don’t let more people know that. Our rents are already [higher than Brooklyn](http://gothamist.com/2015/08/13/queens_rent_high_so_high.php) (fortunately, I own a home). Imagine how much higher they will go if people from outside NY find out that their images of Queens formed in 1975 are completely fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/14 "2015-08-30T06:37:12Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Just because Fargo and North Dakota in general isn’t a crime ridden hell hole like Queens doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the means to protect their citizens. Through much of recent (Cold War) history, an independent North Dakota would have been the world’s third largest nuclear power. Now that’s protecting your citizens! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/15 "2015-08-30T06:39:01Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Through much of recent (Cold War) history, an independent North Dakota would have been the world’s third largest nuclear power. Now that’s protecting your citizens! See? You can never be too prepared against Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/16 "2015-08-30T07:41:32Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > See? You can never be too prepared against Canadians. I think I read somewhere that 90% of the Canadian population lives within 50 miles of the US border. Talk about prepositioning your invasion force. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/17 "2015-08-30T07:46:52Z")
But … on which side of the border? Where’s that damned fence Trump is promising?!? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/18 "2015-08-30T07:54:09Z")
Nobody remembers the great MOVE fiasco when police dropped a bomb on a fortified row house known to have both gasoline and weapons? From Wiki: In 1985, another standoff was ended when the police dropped a bomb on their compound. This resulted in the death of 11 MOVE members, including the leader John Africa and 5 children, the destruction of 65 houses and widespread news coverage. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/19 "2015-08-30T10:10:55Z")
Anybody else flash back [to this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mqDjcGgE5I) from the original Robocop? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117/20 "2015-08-30T14:21:06Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds’s link] Though the law limits the type of weapons permitted to those of the “less-than-lethal” variety — weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bags, pepper spray and Tasers — the original bill actually aimed to ensure that no weapons at all were allowed on law enforcement drones. [/QUOTE] Rubber bullets? Tasers? Don’t they know those need to be AIMED? A small drone is an unstable gun platform providing no fine accuracy at all. There’s a reason the CIA uses Hellfire missiles on its sniping missions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-police-drones-in-nd/729117.md?page=2)