Dear Supporter of Liberty,
Imagine Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) - commonly called drones - patrolling U.S. skies. These drones will take surveillance photographs of everything we do, without our knowledge or approval - and without a warrant.
That is what we'll face in the next few years if we don't make a stand right now.
The proliferation of drone technology is growing exponentially - right here in Texas. These robot aerial spy cameras were originally designed for the battlefield and can be easily equipped with thermal imaging cameras and even weapons to remotely destroy or incapacitate people and other targets.
I know it sounds like something that couldn't happen here, but the fact is, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has a drone spy program right in your back yard! Not only does the drone program violate your 4th Amendment rights, which protect you from unreasonable searches, the program is wasteful and ineffective.
The Sheriff's pet drone project cost over $500,000 in taxpayer money! For that kind of money the equipment should at least work right, but the half-million dollar spy helicopter has been plagued with mechanical and operator error issues since the beginning. At its initial unveiling, the Sheriff's Office was showing the drone off to the media when it went off course and struck a swat vehicle damaging it's rotors. If that wasn't embarrassing enough the Sheriff's Office just crashed the spy helicopter in Lake Conroe!
That is a half-million dollars in taxpayer dollars wasted at the bottom of the lake!
We need to make sure they don't repeat this mistake again. We need to demand that the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office immediately end their unconstitutional and dangerous drone spying program. Please sign the petition below to stop the drone spy program in Montgomery County.
End the Drone Program Petition
Whereas: The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, violate our 4th Amendment rights; and
Whereas: The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has demonstrated they are incapable of operating the drone program safely and responsibly; and
Whereas: The program wastes hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars; and
Whereas: The proliferation of drone technology by the Sheriff's Office will lead to warrantless spying on private citizens.
Therefore: As a resident in Montgomery County, I demand that the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office immediately cease their unconstitutional drone program and not seek to replace the lost spy drone.