Aiming high, flying low

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF Lee Baca’s plan to use unmanned, remote-controlled surveillance planes hit unexpected turbulence last week. It wasn’t just the crash landing of a drone at a media demonstration or the opposition of privacy rights activists; it was the Federal Aviation Administration’s objection that the drones had never been cleared for takeoff. But the controversy, while undeniably entertaining, has been blown out of proportion.

The planes -- essentially motorized kites fitted with batteries and low-quality cameras -- would quietly survey the landscape at an altitude of less than 300 feet (comparable to a model aircraft) and beam pictures to deputies flying them from below. They would move at less than 30 miles per hour, too fast to see through windows but too slow to aid in Los Angeles’ favorite pastime, the high-speed chase. The Sheriff’s Department, which helped develop the planes, says the drones in the pilot program will have limited uses, such as searching for lost hikers.

Given the primitive nature of the drones’ technology, it’s hard to see how the Sheriff’s Department could tout them as the future of policing. At the same time, it’s hard to get too worked up about the concerns of privacy activists. Forget fears that a candid-camera-in-the-sky could identify anyone -- a brown beanie would be indistinguishable from a brown head of hair. The most a deputy flying the current prototype could determine would be details such as gender, clothing color and approximate height. And with a small battery, a small fleet and the personnel costs to operate the planes, the chances that an unnoticed aerial guest could be used to check out the hot tubs of Malibu (or Van Nuys, for that matter) are virtually nil.

But the FAA was correct to ask questions about the program. The Sheriff’s Department noted that recreational model aircraft that fly at a low altitude do not have to obtain a certificate of authorization. But a mini-squadron of low-flying police drones -- the next step after last week’s demonstration at an abandoned field -- raises more safety concerns than a father and son flying a model plane on the beach.

Perhaps future drones may be able to catch a thief or identify a criminal on the run. Until then, Baca could best serve the public by keeping the prototype out of the hands of paparazzi.