We need to minimize the number of assets SkyNet will someday use against us.

Go for it. There is no privacy outside.

I appreciate the Terminator reference

They start out saying these things are to "monitor traffic conditions". We all know that soon enough they will be used to generate tickets for speeding and anything else they can think of. Why not just be up-front about it?

Monitor Traffic conditions? You've got to be kidding!! All the resources already in place to monitor traffic conditions and you almost never hear any reports on the radio about traffic backups, accidents or what have you relating to Fairfax County roads. Isn't there a more pressing need they could be spending this money on?

Setting aside all the privacy issues, how will this actually help with traffic? Will they add more signs to the roads that alert drivers of backups as seen with the help of drones? It seems like those only serve to confuse people and slow traffic down more as they decide what to do.

From traffic tickets to suspect pursuit to illegal yard burning. Drones will be used to ensure public safety and of course, generate revenue for the County.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

Monitor traffic? What's to monitor? Everyday it's the same mess. 66 & Nutley Street, Springfield to Tysons, Beltway to Seminary Road.........etc, etc. Anybody see the movie Groundhog Day/

I'm ok with this. I do nothing wrong so if this helps with security than I'll sacrifice my privacy. Nothing to hide.

Ohh people, let play "TAKE IT TO THE MOST ILLOGICAL CONCLUSION". Police have been in the sky since the Wright Brothers took off. FFX almost always has a helo airborne, and that cost a lot of money. A drone is cheap and expensive to use. For about a thousand dollars, you too can make your own drone, youtube it they are all over place; a few good one flying over kingstowne. There will be no more cameras in the sky than there already are now (helos has cameras too). The cat has been out of the bag for about 20 years. If you are worried about increase enforcement or privacy issues, go to the BOS and make sure they play ball or they are gone, the choice is yours. The technology is here/been lets use it to our advantage.

I don't think the traffic picture is a local picture. My guess is New Hampshire.

One more avenue to monitor sites we already know about, 66, 495, 95, 270. Once they realize these are already covered, they'll have to recoup the cost of their drones so they'll start "revenue-enhancement" opportunities instead of "public safety."

I'm very concerned about "detect, sense, and avoid" issues in crowded airspace. I'm not sure what level of fidelity I'm willing to accept here, but imagine what a collision between a drone and any other airborne resource would do.,

I'm even more concerned about the idiots behind the wheel who would ignore the road for a 'look, shiny!' moment when they see a drone.

Lousy excuse to spend millions of YOUR dollars! We already have traffic cameras. Use them. This is nothing more than another attack on law abiding citizens. Just another move by our modern day gastapo to control the masses.

These things see with a single narrowly focused camera looking down at traffic and maybe another narrowly focused camera looking for obstacles.

They are going to fly into things.

On a battlefield or remote mountains, ok, fine.

In Fairfax County, this is a bad idea.

This is a perfect example of government spending gone wild.

Now this is wasteful spending!
High tech toys for the police when they have not even figured out how to use them or what they in fact can do.
Check out the fleets of high tech vehicles of every description, SWAT vehicles and weapons for an army, and the helicopter force the police alreay overspend millions on.
Better to provide a living wage for county workers at poverty wages under fat contracts than this certifiable waste of my tax dollars.

Better to spend the money on road and mass transit improvements than on aerial drones.

Drones would be a waste of money. We already have plenty of ways to monitor traffic.

Work on ways to improve the exchange of information before simply getting more of it. Need to have effective and timely means of distribution so there can be a dynamic response that's not held up my too narrow a "pipeline". Lastly, are there sufficient "receivers" to hear, process and deliver these different types data as it won't be just "traffic" that's on the agenda and monitor screens.

Work on ways to improve the exchange of information before simply getting more of it. Need to have effective and timely means of distribution so there can be a dynamic response that's not held up by too narrow a "pipeline". Lastly, are there sufficient "receivers" to hear, process and deliver these different types data as it won't be just "traffic" that's on the agenda and monitor screens.

OK, Everyone missed the big picture. The war(s) is dwiddling down, even before the pres speech yesterday. Well, what are you going to do with the personnel, training, and aerial assets that "YOUR" tax dollar paid for already, and the big companies who own these things? You can't just throw those out the window or put them on the shelf. You got to pass them down to the local police, DHS or other government agencies to use. It keeps employment numbers up, and maintains certain skill sets. Traffic eye in the sky? Don't think so. Those platforms (UAVs) soar a tremendous heights and and have aerial longivity without refueling. FAA won't allow them to go under certain altitude. So, people stopping and gaulking shouldn't be an issue. They will be used for other purposes. Privacy? Well, once you walk out of the house, in a bikini to sun bathe, grab the morning paper, or the mail, it doesn't exist. You are open to the general public and big brother's eye. Don't get me wrong, liberties and freedom are all valid points as noted by preminent figures in history and the Constitution, but.....in today's society, security concerns, public interests, and safety are all a small part in world of living in Washington (and the rest of the nation). They (Gov't) has to ensure the fine line is not crossed.

Rohrer said the drones could be used to monitor traffic conditions and backups on area roadways.

That sounds nice. Call me a skeptic but we all know there’s something more. Maybe see accidents in real time and help coordinate Police and Rescue response times. However, we all know that the underlying “value added” purpose of the drone is to issue speeding, reckless driving and other moving violation tickets that traffic cops on the ground would otherwise miss. God forbid you find yourself on a open road and your foot gets a little too heavy or you forget to use you blinker. Don’t worry, Big Brother’s eye in the sky will let you know if you’ve overstepped your bounds.

Every politician loves a cost efficient revenue generator! Maybe the ones who really should be worried are the motorcycle cops.

Will the cost be worth the benefit? Have the monitoring that is in place paid for itself? What will drones do that they will have a benefit. How large of an area can they cover?
How many new hires will be needed per drone? Will a smaller police force be a benefit?
Not enough information to make an intelligent decision - without privacy concerns being addressed. Will there be limitations on how the drones will be used?

Let's clear up a few things. Be assured that Fairfax County will purchase NEW drones, not used military surplus models. The police chief specifically said the drones could be used to monitor traffic conditions, so he is clearly referring to small low-altitude tactical models, not the large high-altitude ones. Those would be too expensive anyway. We all know the real reason the Police want these is to augment or replace helicopters for chasing suspects, etc. Helicopters are too expensive to use for traffic enforcement and minor code violations. However the drones will be cheap enough to fly that they can be used effectively to generate revenue from traffic tickets. There will be more of them than there are helicopters and with more flight hours available, there will be more freedom to fly them wherever a whim strikes. There will be more people who can control and access the video feeds,hence more opportunity for abuse. It doesn't happen so much now because helicopters are too expensive, but you can count on the boys being boys given a chance to look into backyards.

The only good thing I can say about this is that they would be quieter than the helicopters that already rattle my walls. That said, I got a wise fortune cookie many years ago that I have never forgotten:

Security is very nice, but loss of freedom is the price.

Can you imagine the hue and cry that will come out when one of these devices crashes, especially if it crashes into traffic, a shopping mall or an elementary school and, especially so, if said crash occurs because of loss of signal for the remote control?

And, just out of curiosity, do these drones have "blackboxes" on them?