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‘Eye in the Sky’ gets City Council approval

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(Left to right) LASD Lancaster Captain Bob Jonsen, Aero View President Steve McCarter, and Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris
(Left to right) LASD Lancaster Captain Bob Jonsen, Aero View President Steve McCarter, and Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris

LANCASTER – In a packed City Council Meeting Tuesday, council members unanimously approved an agreement between the City of Lancaster and Aero View LLC to provide for an aerial surveillance system – or as Mayor R. Rex Parris called it – an ‘Eye in the Sky’.

Representative installation of LEAPS.

Under the terms of the agreement:

  • The City will pay $1.3 million to Aero View, LLC to acquire the aircraft, avionics, and other equipment required to develop and deploy a Law Enforcement Aerial Platform System (LEAPS) in Lancaster.
  • The system will outfit a Cessna 172 with cameras to deliver imagery, via an encrypted communications link, to equipment at the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station. All surveillance operations will be controlled solely by Sheriff’s personnel with no imagery accessible in the aircraft.
  • Aero View will provide an average of 10 hours of aerial surveillance daily at times to be determined by the sheriff’s department, or approximately 303 hours per month.
  • After an initial 12 months of free service, the City will pay Aero View approximately $90,000 a month for service.
  • Aero View will house its business development and operations in Lancaster for a period of 10 years from the date of execution of the Agreement.

Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Captain Bob Jonsen said the new system would allow law enforcement to follow a criminal’s movements from altitudes of 1,000 to 3,000 feet above ground.

“It will obviously be able to do this day and night using visible and infrared technology to track the images,” said Jonsen. “It can really zoom in to give us substantial criminal evidence that a crime is occurring and help us direct our resources more effectively.”

Jonsen stressed that the Sheriff’s department would completely control the data, surveillance and operation of the system.

“We will communicate where the system goes, where it will track and where we want it to shadow based on our calls for service,” he said. “The imagery recorded by the system will be directly downloaded by the sheriff’s department and only the sheriff’s department will have access to that information and video.”

“We are going to use this to our advantage to root out criminals, not just to be flying over and looking in your backyard,” Jonsen added.

Another advantage of the system, Jonsen said, is its ability to store up to two years worth of data that is instantly accessible to law enforcement.

“If we receive information on a crime that occurred in the past that we weren’t initially aware of, we will now have the ability to go in and extract this video to see if there’s evidence of a crime at that particular location,” he said. “That’s a great resource for us.”

In their comments, residents were strongly divided, either for or against the new system. Those who opposed the system saw it as an extreme invasion of privacy.

“The fact that somebody can go back and look for somebody who may have done graffiti means you can go back and look in our backyards 10 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Maureen Feller. “Our Fourth Amendment took quite a beating after 9-11 and it appears that the City of Lancaster will be the one who will be the death nail to it. I personally think anybody for this is treasonous and they’re a traitor to our constitution and our Bill of Rights.”

“I’m concerned that it [aerial surveillance system] is going to be used to come to 93534 where I live and pick and choose how they systematically get rid of whomever it is they want to,” said Wendy Williams. “I do think that our safety is the most important thing, but with that, at what cost?”

Others were strongly in favor of the new system.

“I’m one to say let’s be safe even if I need to give up some privacy,” said Mark Pierson. “Maybe because I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“I’m in favor of this 100% and whatever I can do to get it done,” said Elaine High.

The Law Enforcement Aerial Platform System will be deployed in Lancaster in early Spring of 2012.

Filed Under: Lancaster

57 comments for "‘Eye in the Sky’ gets City Council approval"

  1. Again, I have been profiled in the Antelope Valley Press among people who
    make a difference. Please feel free to contact Mr. Denis Anderson and/or
    any of the editors who have conducted interviews and writings of me for the last twenty-three years. I taught the prison pre-release program in
    the lancaster state prison under the direction of Mr.Ron Deady. I taught
    seven years in Challenger Memorial Youth Facility under the umbrella of
    the United Community Action Net Work Mr. Billy Pricer. The daily News,AV
    Times,LA Times and the Antelope Valley Press has covered me many times which are listed on the web. The local libraries have articles dating back
    at least fifteen years ! I have been on the cover of progression magazine,
    a guest of the White House i.e toured the White House and addressed members
    of congress. A guest of Issues and answers/Larry Groom Antelope Valley
    Press editor conducted the interview.I toured the prison system with Muhammd Ali (Three times heavy weight champ) and I was the principle speaker. I have spoken in numerous international conferences,and was once
    of the USC speaking circuit. I have resided in Palmdale California for
    twentythree years. I was placed on religious panels,non profit group
    participant as I have spoken to thousands of youth and participated in
    youth re-treats. I have been invited to international embasies and spoken
    in churches,mosques and temples. In nintey percent of the listed details
    the Antelope Valley Press has some notation of the events over the last
    several years. You are welcome to contact Muhammad Ali for tur reference,
    the listed press for details and the White House for the sated facts.I
    am not a saint,priest,minister,mullah,guru,prophet,pastor or apostle. I
    believe in visionaries,seers,prophets and messengers of God.I have studied
    and/or listen to many morden day teachers and guideds. I have done for the most part self study and reflection. I believe my gift by the grace of
    God is an open mind, a compassionate heart,a desire to see the best in all
    people. I am a person of faith.Again I am a public speaker. I love life,
    I love to reach out to people the best they can be. I am a person of faith
    but not in the standard sense. I am beyond superficial labels,titles,
    ceremony,customs,and rituals and/or rituals just for rituals sake ! My
    audience is the people ! Just like aritotle he ‘taught while walking!’I am
    an independent journalist, an independent public speaker. Why ? Because
    I wanted to be free to speak mind,I didn’t want to be controlled,thus
    I would not be able to speak to you about what I know and have come to
    understand.I am open to speak any where I am invited. My message is universal and when it comes to people-I see people not spots ! Of course
    I recognize that is the level of some peoples existence. My email is:abdul
    askia@yahoo.com and my phone number is 323=9459589.

    • Don’t mind Ace, Abdul. He is just the resident grumpy old man who doesn’t like anyone and holds ridiculous points of view without regards to any facts. Oh, Ace’s point of view makes perfect sense somewhere, but his weak link is, this is Earth.

      Every once in a while you’ll find yourself agreeing with him, but usually he’s off in “AceLand” somewhere.

  2. The fact of the matter is big brother is here whether mayor R.X.Paris places the eye in the sky or not. Meaning we are now in the space age,
    the electronic and satellite surveillance era ! The only privacy we will
    have is only in thought, the thoughts in our heads because anything else
    will either be heard or seen. Call it what you like big government, the
    elite class, the power structure, law enforcement money and power will
    have its way. The world is on the big screen. Like the God the creator
    knows all,sees all and hears all and now man wants apart of that ability
    to know see and hear as much of your life as possible, the only thing
    thats left is your private thoughts,-and yet there are present efforts to even know that !Therefore due to the rapid pase of science and new inventions we are fastly moving toward living in glass houses wherein whomever can see clearly through your home. Sqwak as you may it is what is!
    What is the solution ? My suggestion is do as the producer Spike Lee suggested “Do the right thing!”,whatever it is.As anational public speaker
    I want to see people live their lives in peace,joy,happiness,respect,
    freedom and in the pursuit of happiness. I want to make my life through
    service of some benefit in serving humanity.Jesus said I came into the world to serve and not be served. The holy Qur’an says speak the truth
    whether it is against rich or poor. We all are limited in our perceptions in some degree;therefore, all we can do is do the best that we can do! Whatever you do let it be for the betterment of humanity. Our government
    is ‘government of the people,for the people and by the people. All for one
    and one for all !As a public speaker email abdulaskia@yahoo.com I invite
    you to the conference table to strive to make our lives,our communities
    this nation and possibly the world a better place. Stay positive,and remember “do the right thing’!Public speaker Abdul Majeed Askia

  3. An interesting experiment would be to have everyone in Lancaster who is opposed to the “Eye in the Sky” move to Palmdale and let everyone in Palmdale who supports it to move to Lancaster. After two years go by, then see which of the two cities is safer.

    • Your proposed experiment is unnecessary, Mario. Proof: Both cities have comparable populations and Palmdale even has a higher quotient of Section 8 housing, yet Palmdale has a consistently lower crime rate than Lancaster!

  4. A ridiculous idea, costing lots of money, with negligible benefit.

    Put a camera and communications link on a Cessna, and someone makes millions.

    A costly effort in search of a purpose.

  5. It would be terrible if the plane’s engine sputtered and it nose-dived into Parris’s house while he’s in the bathtub. Just terrible.

  6. Old Timer, the GOVERMENT WILL BE FILMING YOU WITH INFRARED CAMARAS AND HEAT SENSORS IN YOUR OWN HOME and save it indefinitely, 2 yrs for quick review, until now the goverment needed a warrant and probable cause to be that intrusive, not anymore thanks to Mayor Parris, and he is teaching all other cities how to get away with spying on their citizens. When YOU choose to film in YOUR OWN HOME, it is YOU, filming in your own home. what the city of Lancaster is doing is violation of citizens rights in a big way, but if they are Ok with it, well enjoy, if not this will be another lawsuit that their city will have to endure, it seems to me that the Mayor is keeping people fighting and arguing amongst themselves to take away the focus on his business deals and where the moneys is going, how many lawsuits are there now? who is making money on the City’s defence? is there a connection with the Mayor? just asking…..

    • No they are not filming you inside your house. No, these IR cameras do not penetrate walls, or anything like that. No one has even suggested that they would be doing this. All those accusations come from people on this thread.

    • I wonder how solar panels affect the ability of the infrared cameras to ‘see’. Funny, cause Parris is also working on promoting solar panels on new homes in Lancaster. He is so bass ackwards in his approach to anything, I bet he puts his socks on over his shoes.

  7. One thing that it doesn’t talk about is that the plane will have heat censors, which can follow you around inside your house. We don’t need this to fight crime, this idea is completely absurd. To me, it’s not to fight crime at all. It’s to keep track of people he can’t stand. Once you have a camera looking into your backyard or even your house it turns even more into an issue.

    • Wait a minute… the sheriff helicopters already have the same infrared cameras in use now. And for field operations, there are the infamous “night scopes”. What is the difference?

      • I don’t want a plane looking into my house or backyard. This is just absurd. We can fight crime without having to spy on people like this.

    • Oh, great. I just installed radiant electric floor heating under my tile floors. They’ll think I’m growing pot or something. Oh, well. I’ll just have them come in, take off their shoes and feel how nice and warm the floor is in January.

  8. I love how gloss over the violation of citizens’ privacy rights, and at the same time blur out the N-number on the plane so we can’t look it up. I guess it’s only the “big guy” who’s entitled to privacy protections.

    • Let’s define your right to privacy. Where does your right to privacy end? Where does someone have a right to watch you?

    • I should clarify my last comment. I’m not trying to be a smartass about this by asking that question.. I’m serious about wanting to know how far people think their right to privacy extends, and I dont understand why this project is raising those concerns.

      Google Earth, Google Earth’s street view, “Spy” satelites, CCTV cameras all over the place, are all watching us and have been. the camera I see on this plane does not look too much different than the very same camera on the sheriff helicopter, or even the various news helicopters. why no complaints about them?

      Personally, I have more concerns about my internet provider knowing every website I visited, and having logs of all emails sent and received. I have more concerns about my phone company knowing who I have been talking to. To me that is more of a concern than some camera looking at whatever it can see in public.

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

      • I certainly believe I have a right to privacy in my back yard, with 6′ block walls and tall trees surrounding it. My property is not “public”, it is private.

        Helicopters I can hear, and avoid. But it’s my understanding that there were mods made to the aircraft to make it quieter, more covert so people are less aware of it’s presence. I take issue with that, and with the concept of a round-the-clock “eye in the sky”.

        • I understand what you’re saying… the problem is that whatever is viewable from public property is not an invasion of privacy. Sure, you might not like it, but that’s what it is.

          If I am your neighbor and decide to videotape you in your back yard from my second floor window, or if I choose to stand on the sidewalk in front of your house and take photos of you, that’s ok, as long as I am not on your property, right? Sure, we may not like it, and it’s pretty creepy, but that is legal right?

          Taking photos or videos of your property from the public sky is no different. Now there are limits of course. Can someone use some kind of camera that can see thru walls inside your home. Probably not without probable cause.

          I do understand what you are saying though. clearly we all agree that when we are in public we have no expection of privacy. And when you are in your own house you should have absolute right to privacy. But what happens when you are on your property in plain view? That is not protected, is it?

          Just to spark some debate….If you think someone does not have any right to photograph or video you at all when you are on your own property even if you are outside in plain view, let me ask you this: How do you feel about those “nanny cams”? Those are the little hidden cameras people sometimes deploy to covertly monitor a babysitter while that babysitter is working inside the home. Is it right for you to secretly record someone inside your home like that?

          • Jo, what’s not the same thing? My nanny cam example? Interesting. So you basically whine about 4th amendment rights, but as it turns out it only applies if you feel someone might violate yours, but it’s ok for you to violate someone else’s.

          • My backyard isn’t visible to the public – the only way someone could see in would be if they were trespassing…or airborne.

            My guess is if I mounted a camera on an RC aircraft and flew it over Rex’s and other officials houses and put the video on Youtube, I would face prosecution or a civil suit at the least.

            Now that I think about it, that’s a great way to press the privacy issue…

        • Sophie said: “Helicopters I can hear, and avoid. But it’s my understanding that there were mods made to the aircraft to make it quieter, more covert so people are less aware of it’s presence”

          Now you are complaining because this plane is too quiet? Would you also complain if the thing was too noisy? I would. Should patrol cars remove their mufflers, so they are loud enough that they can never sneak up on you?

          What ever you do, please don’t complain about how quiet or loud the plane is… otherwise the mayor might put recorded bird sounds on the plane, too. No one wants that ;)

      • This is an easy one, and is answered by those damn ultra-liberal criminals, the founding fathers. Just for a hoot, why not follow the guidelines set forth in the 4th amendment. Just a thought!

        • There you go again. Not answering the question, just blindly reciting the 4th amendment. Where does your 4th amendment rights end?

          • Really? Have you read the 4th amendment? You think the description is obscure? I don’t know what to tell you then. To me it IS the answer. To bad it’s not good enough for you. Tell us, do you work for the city old timer?

          • Jo, yes I have read it. I also know at what point it is not a violation. And again, whether you like it or not, you do not known the sky above you. It is perfectly legal for anyone to photograph your property from the sky. Too bad *that* is not good enough for you.

            Google has bazillions of dollars. Why don’t you sue them for taking photos of your property?

            I’ll tell you who I work for when you tell me who you work for.

          • You don’t seem to get it. Or is it you’re trying to make sure other people don’t get it! This is not a couple of still pictures from 3 yrs ago like google!

            This is 10 hours of video of your personal property by the government, 7 days a week, month after month, year after year, where a bored sheriff with marital problems can stalk his wife, or neighbor, indefinitely. And go back and stalk his ex from a couple years back. And your link doesn’t even begin to cover that.

            But like so many other fear mongers in our state, you are willing to give up MY rights, because you either got someone you want to stalk, or you’re some kind of deluded exhibitionist, hoping to be on a “reality show”. Or maybe one of the investors???

            And since it IS equipped with heat sensors, how exactly will it be UNABLE to pick up heat sources in our houses? You really believe it can stop picking up heat sources just because the law says it can’t look into a house? Does the camera’s say to themselves, “I’ll just not look now, because that would be baddd” after a heat source goes through a door? You are way to naive to be an old timer. City employee is more like it.

          • Jo, You don’t seem to get it… no one has any interest in circling your house for 10 hours a day.

            Its not equipped with heat sensors as you claim. I am very familiar with the kind of technology being employed on this thing. Its not going to be looking in your house, not because that’s illegal, but because its impossible with the equipment they have on board, You are the one who is naive.

      • I guess the problem with the plane, and someone was questoning the price tag of $1.3 mill, (it’s an old plane) is that it will be the GOVERMENT looking into not only your back yard but, into your home with an infraread camara and heat sensor continuously, waiting for you to do something wrong and if they don’t pick up right away this imagery will be save indefinatly, 2 yrs for quick review. The fact that the guy that wants it done is what a lot of people beleive to be a very currupt politician should concern us all, a helicopter is usually called in when a crime has been commited and is helping the cops to find the supect or suspects, they are not going around nilly willy filming peoples homes and back yards with infrared cameras and heat sensors. (I don’t know of an old timer will use terms like my bad), you can film anything you want in your own home. YOU, FILMING IN YOUR OWN HOME. not the GOVERMENT filming you in your own home, for that the goverment until now needed a warrant and probable cause, not anymore. I saw a video of Captain Bob Jonsen blackmailing this guy David G into not going to meetings so that the Mayor can have peace of mind, the constitutional rights he was stepping on, (Freedon of Speech) were of no consecuence to the Captain, what matter to the Captain was the Mayor’s peace of mind, the guy (David G) seems to take the deal in the video only to show up at the next meeting to expose the hole thing in front of the Lancaster City Council and Captain Jonsen, don’t believe me, watch the video and then know that Captain Jonsen will be keeping an eye on Lancaster and possibly Palmdale and what seem to be his most important job, making sure that Mayor Parris has peace of mind, sweet dreams everyone in Lancaster, Captain Jonsen and Mayor Parris will be keeping an eye on you…

        • As mentioned before, the $1.3M is not just for a plane… its for the other equipment and engineering that goes with it. That fancy stuff costs money.

          No one, except the complainers have said that this thing is capable or going to be looking into people’s homes. It’s not. This plane has basically the same equipment as the helicopters, so it has the same capability. Since the plane flies at a higher altitude than the helicopters, I would argue that its imagery isn’t even as good as the existing helicopters. You can’t complain about the plane doing something more intrusive than the existing helicopters are doing now.

          Like it or not, what can be viewed from public land, or the sky above is not protected. If you think it is, then please file a big fat lawsuit against Google, because they have some pretty good imagery of your home available to everyone.

          You’re right. The helicopter isn’t up here just patrolling for hours on end. It’s normally up here in response to a specific incident. There is only one reason that is the case: The cost. I guarantee you that if the helicopter was cheaper, it would be up here patrolling for hours on end, too.

          • yes, Old Timer, if helicopters were cheaper citizens of all cities would be jumping with joy to have helicopters armed with infrared camaras and heat sensors hovering above their homes,JUST PICTURE THAT PLEASE, PLEASE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND PICTURE THAT, that would really make people feel safe. Like a said if Lancaster citizen don’t do anything about this, other cities will follow…and us in Palmdale are just a stone away, right now Mayor Landford does not seem to subscribe to the nonsense but what happenes when he is gone and we get a crazed politico in his place?

          • Do you think lancaster is the first city to do this kind of aerial surveillance? No, they are not. It’s being done in other cities too. Not too hard to find, if you google the subject.

  9. Let’s see… $1,300,000.00 up front – NOW – of our tax money. In 12 months, $1,080,000.00 EVERY YEAR of our tax money… for 10 years! TOTAL: $12,100,000.00! That’s right, 12 MILLION DOLLARS of our money to yet another Parris Pal.

    And for what? So that Parris can try to get dirt on his political opponents!

      • So I finally listened to the broadcast of the city council meeting. Here are a few comments:

        The $1.3M is not a “gift”. The word gift, implies someone is given something (money) to keep with nothing expected in return. In this case, the $1.3M is for the purchase of the equipment and engineering and development costs. The city owns the equipment. Sounds reasonable to me (what does one of those ‘American Eurocopter’ helicopters or whatever it is they use with all the adaded equipment cost?)

        Yup, basically $297 per hour. And this is for something that is for the exclusive use of Lancaster, 10 hours per day, 7 days per week, vs the current sheriff helicopter which costs the city $3000 per hour, is not based here, and is only here when its called in response to something and its available.

        This actually sounds like a good and cost effective idea to me.

        • First: where do you get the figure that the Sheriff’s helicopter costs the city $3K per hour? That does not coincide with my information.

          Second: If the City is paying the outrageous sum of $1.3M to purchase everything outright (it’s just a little Cessna, for crying out loud), what is the $300/hour going towards?

          • Listen to the city council presentation again. They said this was 1/10th of the cost of the helicopter.

            I’m sure the $300 per hour is for operating and maintaining the plane plus the labor costs for the aircrew

    • This is what is really ridiculous. The plane is only operational 10 hours a day, so this great “crime fighting tool” that costs us taxpayers $90,000 a month is operational for 10 out of every 24 hours in a day.
      The range of the camera, according to the cities own little video presentation, is just a “couple of blocks”, so in order for this plane to be effective, it has to be airborne, and within a “couple of blocks” of the crime location at the time the crime occurs.
      The obvious goal of this program is to sell it to other agencies, so I would be doing some questioning as to how much money Parris, or his wife and traditional business partners, have invested in it. Smells like a city sponsored, Parris business venture to me.

  10. “I’m one to say let’s be safe even if I need to give up some privacy,” said Mark Pierson. “Maybe because I’m not doing anything wrong.”

    This guy is a prime example of what is wrong with our country today. He is so willing to give up EVERYBODY’S rights for his own FEELINGS of the illusion of safety. Hitler absolutely LOVED idiots like this guy… And so does Parris, of course! Oh, and I love the immediate accusation against EVERYBODY who disagrees with him as being automatically a criminal. This is a typical Parris supporter – a stupid stooge that THINKS that he has nothing to fear from Big Brother.

    Somewhere, a grizzled American Veteran is shaking his head ruefully…

    • Mark Pierson is a real estate agent works for c-21, he is selling something to the city of Lancaster, somrthing about foreclosed homes….

  11. Ace, you really need to get a life. All you do is troll various forums around the Antelope (and Apple) valley areas.