Concerns about the proliferation of domestic surveillance drones — aside from those relating to privacy — have fallen on the issue of safety, such as crashes and midair collisions.
No doubt the crash of a $12 million surveillance drone, used to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, will heighten such concerns. Agencies reported:
Customs and Border Protection said the drone was looking for drug and people smugglers when a mechanical problem developed about 20 miles south-west of San Diego late Monday. Spokesman Mike Friel says the Arizona-based crew operating the drone decided to crash it in the Pacific ocean.
The $12m surveillance drone was part of a fleet of 10 – now nine – the Department of Homeland Security uses to patrol the border.
