STEALTH DRONES AID LAW ENFORCEMENT UNMANNED GADGETS WOULD AUGMENT SHERIFF'S HELICOPTERS.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

Law enforcement gadgets once seen only in Hollywood movies are becoming a reality throughout Los Angeles County.

Sheriff's officials said Monday that they plan soon to begin deploying unmanned aerial drones equipped with surveillance cameras to help catch criminals -- a silent and stealthier alternative to helicopters.

``It's got some advantages over conventional helicopters,'' said Cmdr. Sid Heal. ``But the vast majority of its missions won't replicate what helicopters do, but augment them.''

Initially, Heal said, the drone -- which resembles a remote-controlled model airplane -- will be used to check rooftops or other inaccessible areas where suspects might be hiding, or to search for missing hikers and children.

If the first field test is successful -- which officials believe will be the first in a major U.S. urban area -- Heal hopes to expand the use of the SkySeer to every sheriff's station in the county.

The drones would be used to augment the department's 18 helicopters, which cost about $1,200 an hour to operate.

But privacy-rights advocates say they are concerned about use of the drones.

``This device greatly troubles me,'' said Beth Givens, director of the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. ``In fact, it comes straight out of a science-fiction movie. And I don't think we can rely on the sheriff's assurances that it will only be used in certain narrow situations.''

Legal experts also said the drones could violate privacy rights if they are used to gather evidence for which law enforcement officials would normally need a search warrant.

But Heal said the drones are designed only for aerial reconnaissance, not personal surveillance.

``If you are really concerned about Big Brother, start looking at the signs in grocery store windows, at ATM machines and in underground parking structures,'' Heal said. ``Video is becoming the wave of self-protection in this century.''

The military has used larger and more expensive drones in Iraq and Afghanistan for years. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has used similar drones to patrol ports and the U.S.-Mexico border.

The computer-controlled SkySeer weighs three pounds, has a six-foot wingspan and is equipped with a remote-controlled pan-tilt camera with an optional thermal camera for night use.

The battery-powered aircraft costs $25,000 to $35,000 and is small enough to be carried in a car's trunk. It features a GPS-guided takeoff, flight and landing system. It can fly for up to an hour at a maximum speed of 23 mph.

``We could use it in a barricade situation where it's difficult for deputies to get a good view of the location,'' said Deputy Troy Sella. ``They could deploy the plane to find the safest avenues of approach. You could also use it if you had a fleeing felon who was hiding in a yard.''

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) At right, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Troy Sella assembles the unmanned aerial vehicle SkySeer, an autonomous drone aircraft used for surveillance and reconnaissance for the military and law enforcement, during a demonstration Friday in Redlands. Above right, Sam De La Torre, an aircraft designer with Octatron Inc., shows the camera aboard the SkySeer.

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press