The Chestertown Spy is more than a bit jealous to note that Queen Anne’s County law enforcement now have their very own aerial drone. Buried in a Washington Post article on the new domestic use of these unmanned small planes was the fact that the big QA is one of only five county or city governments that owns one. One reason is cost. To get up and running is about $50,000 while a helicopter hovers around $2 million.
Duck and Cover: The Aerial Drone has Arrived in Queen Anne’s
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Bill says
Anybody out there who would continue challenge the notion that the federal government has lost its fiscal sanity? The Democrats would call this another “investment,” I guess. Considering that 40 cents of every dollar used to pay for it comes from our grandchildren, I have a another name.
Are we supposed to be appreciative of the allegation that it only costs $50K, which of course fails to consider the ongoing expenses which the state will no doubt bear? Sorta’ reminds me of that feeling I get when the wife returns from Dover, telling me how much money she saved…
Clark says
If QAC can use with a $50,000 machine instead of using a $2,000,000 one why isn’t that fiscally responsible? I don’t see in this short article any mention of Federal spending to get the thing, either. Maybe they did use Uncle Sam’s money but, in that case, they used a lot less of it than they would have to buy a helicopter. Get real.
Chris says
Considering a fully modified police car involves between 30-40 thousand dollars to put on the road (not including the mechanic labor involved installing peripherals, including heavy duty suspension, brakes, calibrated speedometer, tires, alternator, transmission and cooling systems, light bars, sirens, two-way radios controller consoles, transport enclosures, firearm lockers, mobile data terminals, vehicle tracking systems, video cameras, speed recognition devices, push or PIT bumpers, remote door locks and runlocks) I doubt one drone, with far fewer mechanical parts and no requirement for human transport safety standards, will be more expensive to maintain than one trooper’s vehicle for one year.
Remember, this is a glorified RC helicopter with a high definition camera. Calling in a real helicopter for pursuit of a suspect, visual inspection of a dangerous area or real time surveillance will have a running cost of up to $500 an hour, not including the cost of purchasing the machine to begin with.
The real issue should be one of personal privacy concerns, not costs, which are decreased when using this device as a replacement for the real thing.
Chris says
An off topic continuation: Purchases made in Delaware are still subject to Maryland’s use tax. Technically, you are required to report your out of State purchases to the Comptroller. No one actually does this, of course.
This is a great example of the increased risk of tax fraud when you utilize a pure consumption tax rather than taxing income, but I continue to digress.
If you would like to comply with the law, you can download the form here. https://forms.marylandtaxes.com/current_forms/ST-118A.pdf
Jim says
It never fails to amaze me how government can find new way to infringe on the lives of the people it represents. Queen Anne’s County officials see fit to sent this “plane” out to see who is doing what. Yet invests very littlemaking sure ALL of the students who graduate QACHS can read and write at a “ready to go to college” level prior to graduating them. This same government does little to educate and prevent drug use by its students. When will WE send a clear message that this is UNACCEPTABLE!
Craig says
I believe that law enforcement agencies, as other government agencies, seek ever increasing funds and try to buy as many toys as their budgets will allow. I don’t think there is a compelling reason why QA county needs an aerial drone and I definitely don’t like the implications this has for the continuing erosion of citizens privacy . Somewhere in the law enforcement process the government has decided it does not need to respect the people they tax.