DHS-Funded Taser Drone Launched in Texas

From http://www.infowars.com/dhs-funded-taser-drone-launched-in-texas/

DHS-Funded Taser Drone Launched in Texas

UAV used against insurgents in Afghanistan can incapacitate suspects from above
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Monday, October 31, 2011
A Department of Homeland Security-funded surveillance drone deployed against insurgents in Afghanistan that can also be used to tase suspects from above has been unveiled by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office and will be operational within a month.

“At $500,000 a pop, Montgomery county spent $250,000 to get the UAV. The rest was covered by a Department of Homeland Security grant,” reports KBTX.com.

Although its initial role will be limited to surveillance, the ShadowHawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, previously used against suspected terrorists in Afghanistan and East Africa, has the ability to tase suspects from above as well as carrying 12-gauge shotguns and grenade launchers.

“We look forward to utilizing it in a variety of capacities that protect our employees from harm to the extent possible and to enhance the protection to our citizens and their safety,” said Montgomery County Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel.

The ShadowHawk is a 50lb mini drone chopper that can be fitted with an XREP taser with the ability to fire four barbed electrodes that can be shot to a distance of 100 feet, delivering “neuromuscular incapacitation” to the victim. The drone can travel at a top speed of 70MPH and can operate for 3.5 hours over land and sea.

A video clip of the drone shows off its impressive maneuverability as it tails a suspect attempting to evade capture with sophisticated object tracking technology. Another video shows the drone conducting surveillance of two individuals involved in a firearm transaction.

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More powerful military Predator drones are already being used to kill American citizens overseas, including 16-year-old Denver-born Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, prompting fears that drones could be used within the United States to meter out extrajudicial punishment, something that surpasses anything George Orwell predicted in 1984.

The fact that the drone was partly funded with DHS grant money further illustrates how the Department of Homeland Security is determined to turn America into a high-tech police state.

While the federal agency openly flouts immigration laws by authorizing illegal aliens to work in the U.S., billions of dollars have been poured into “homeland security needs” for state and local governments to keep tabs on the American people, including the rollout of a surveillance camera network that is now blanketing major cities across the nation.

Even more Orwellian are proposals also being backed by the federal government to turn street lights into sophisticated surveillance tools that can not only record video and conversations, but also have “homeland security” applications including displaying messages that encourage Americans to report on each other as part of DHS’ ‘See Something, Say Something’ snitch campaign.