Thread: New UAV resumes border surveillance

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5611176&nav=HMO6HMaW

New UAV resumes border surveillance

Oct 30, 2006 08:27 PM PST

It's a high tech way of watching the border and took flight at Fort Huachuca Monday.

It's an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV.

You'll remember, a craft just like it crashed in the desert earlier this month.

Now a high tech plane has a flight plan to safely protect the border.

At Fort Huachuca, this brand new plane soars towards the heavens.

Michael Pitts with Customs and Border Protection says, "Its primary mission is to secure the border and prevent acts of terrorism."

He's talking about an unmanned plane flown by remote control.

Called "the predator," it's designed for surveillance like nothing else.

Peter McNall with Customs and Border Protection says, "You can see someone carrying a backpack from an altitude of 19,000 feet."

It's kind of like a big video game. The pilots fly the aircraft inside one trailer. And in another trailer border patrol agents watch the video feed for any illegal activity.

When they spot something they send agents on the ground to make arrests.

Though there is somewhat of a learning curve. McNall says it takes awhile to learn because sometimes you think it's a person but it's a rock.

Earlier this year a similar unmanned plane crashed.

The government says pilot error is to blame.

And it's worked out some bugs to hopefully prevent another crash.

Pitts says, "By looking at abnormal procedures. And making sure we're using checklists and making sure we're going through proper procedures to take care of a situation that's abnormal."

It's one more tool in the government's vision of a secure border.

When they spot something they send agents on the ground to make arrests.

What a bunch of bullshit. If there were any Agents on the ground to call they'd be making arrests left and right, but there aren't any because they spent all the money on this worthless plane!

Airplane fights and cameras can be turned off, a wall cannot. That's why it will never be built.

Yeah, I agree. I think they're just using it to count the illegals ... not to stop them. I also figure this way they can keep an eye on Border Patrol too and when they try to defend our borders, they can send in others to arrest them ... the border patrol agents ... you know "doing their job".

When you can just stand on the border and see the illegales flowing in why spend the money on a plane like this?

I don't think the problem has been not being able to find the illegales pouring across the border; I think the problem has been lack of personnel to keep them out.

Our mission should be to keep them out; not arrest them after they get in.

Kinda like football ... the objective of a defensive line is to keep anyone from getting through to begin with ... not benching or fining everyone after someone did.

Judy wrote:

Kinda like football ... the objective of a defensive line is to keep anyone from getting through to begin with ... not benching or fining everyone after someone did.

Right on, Judy