Noticed this article earlier and not exactly the kind of thing we want to see. I'm still in my first week as an owner and one thing I've observed is people have a very strange reaction to the seeing my drone. Quite honestly they don't seem to like to see it flying around and I try all I can to avoid flying around people (and of course not above them).

Law enforcement test out 'drone killer': http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Law-enforcement-test-out-drone-killer-442011103.html

Meh.... $18k for the gun... I'm not worried the kids down the street will pick one up.... Most cops won't either.  Those that live in areas where they are very nervous (DC area) and some others MIGHT be getting one, but that's a lot of donuts just to have a chance at dropping a drone that might be doing something they don't like. Just my $.02

Thank goodness for poor neighbors!  Like me.

MrRobert5823 Posted at 2017-8-29 14:15
Meh.... $18k for the gun... I'm not worried the kids down the street will pick one up.... Most cops won't either.  Those that live in areas where they are very nervous (DC area) and some others MIGHT be getting one, but that's a lot of donuts just to have a chance at dropping a drone that might be doing something they don't like. Just my $.02

I hope you're right but that article was discussing local officials using one in Cabell County, WV and honestly if they can afford one most any area can.

I'm not at all suggesting panic or anything close to that but it's somewhat concerning.

They have bigger fish to fry than to harass people who within the FAA rules are legally flying their drones.  For all we know, it could be solar flares or some other form of "glitch".  If it were only "law enforcement", then my friends around the world wouldn't be having the same problems.

It seems to me like they'd be opening themselves up to a lawsuit if they were harassing a legal drone hobbyist doing no harm - or worse, if they cause it to crash.

I find this funny...WV is my home state and short of Charleston I can't imagine any municipal LE agency spending the money for one of these (even the low rent ones).  Meaning the US government likely gave it to them to test or subsidized it (your tax dollars at work).  Next, I also cannot imagine WV having a "drone" problem and not only that since they rely heavily on tourist money and they have a lot of rugged terrain worth taking photos and video of they'd be killing the hand that feeds them.  Many of the tourists come from the DC metroplex area where they certainly can't fly freely, again it makes it all the more funny.
I will say this, some of these devices, in the wrong hands, can be dangerous...just don't think the threat is coming to a WV mountain top any time soon...

Seems like local police depts. would still be subject to federal law, which states that shooting down any aircraft is illegal.  The sky is the province of the F.A.A.  But with Trump in office, and making it easy for local P.D.'s to get surplus military hardware, who knows?