http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/texas-lawmakers-fight-more-drones
Texas lawmakers fight for more drones Published 5 May 2011 Texas lawmakers are pushing federal officials to deploy more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along the state's southern border with Mexico; currently one Predator drone patrols the skies above Texas' border and the Gulf Coast, while three Predators operate out of Arizona and one in North Dakota; Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and two other congressman from Texas recently met with state and federal officials to lobby for the additional deployment of drones Texan lawmakers are pushing <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110429/NEWS02/704299865> federal officials to deploy more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along the state's southern border with Mexico. Currently one Predator drone patrols the skies above Texas' border and the Gulf Coast, while three Predators operate out of Arizona and one in North Dakota. Representative Henry Cuellar and (D - Texas) and two other congressman from Texas recently met with state and federal officials to lobby for the additional deployment of drones. "Texas tends to be overlooked, probably for political reasons. We're the logical spot. We have the most border, not to mention our coastline, and we need some more assets down here," said Representative Blake Farenthold (R - Texas), who was also present at the meeting. Local law enforcement officers have welcomed the drone's capabilities, especially in light of drug-related activities and violence along the border. Captain Bob Bullock Jr. of the Texas Rangers, said "It's an officer safety issue. If I've got Rangers on the ground and there is a large group moving toward them, I can notify them of what's ahead." Captain Bullock added that the drones provide situational awareness and intelligence to officers seeking to interdict shipments of contraband. Predator drones are capable of flying for as long as twenty-four hours before needing to land and have a range of 500 miles. As they have come to be embraced by U.S. law enforcement, drones have become an increasing source of tension from Mexican officials who believe they threaten their country's sovereignty when flown in their airspace. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
