CYBERBUG GIVES POLICE EYE IN THE SKY

$30,000 Unmanned Aircraft To Be Used For Aerial Surveillance

Its makers say it is a crime-fighting tool for the 21st century. The
Gaston County Police department says it's almost as good as having a
helicopter at a fraction of the cost.

But the true test for Gaston County's unmanned aerial vehicle will
come in a month, when officers put their $30,000 Cyberbug in the air
for the first time.

County commissioners approved the unmanned aircraft last month. The
funding comes from drug-asset forfeiture money, and police say the
unmanned vehicle could become indispensable.

Assistant Police Chief Jeff Isenhour, who researched getting an
unmanned vehicle for several months, said the Cyberbug will be
equipped with a low-light and an infrared camera that can spot drug
fields from over 100 yards in the air. It can help police keep large
gatherings from getting out of hand, he said, and even find children
lost in the woods.

The Cyberbug's makers tout that it can be stored in a police car's
trunk and ready for action in less than five minutes. It coasts along
at about 30 mph, depending on the wind. And Isenhour said the county
police's aircraft will have batteries that can power it for up to two
hours. One officer is headed to Florida in the next week for Cyberbug
training. He will bring the Cyberbug back with him and then train
about four other officers.

"For the price of a patrol car, you could probably buy two UAV's,"
said Cyber Defense Systems President Jim Alman. "When the officer has
a situation, he already has the tools with him all the time. He has
his laptop, he has his shotgun, he has his (Cyberbug)."

Far From Foolproof

Lt. Chris Becker, commander for homeland security and intelligence at
the Charles County, Md., Sheriff's Office said he didn't have
considerable objections when his office tested the Cyberbug, but his
department didn't see a pressing need to buy one.His office monitored
a gathering of motorcycle riders at the county fairgrounds using a
UAV similar to the one Gaston County Police will get.

Becker said an unaffiliated group has been testing unmanned small
aircraft and feeding results to the sheriff's department. Roger
Kraus, a member of that group -- the Charles County homeland security
alliance -- who says he helped plan the UAV's monitoring of the
motorcycle event, said it's hard to define an agency's need for the device.

"You can't define those requirements -- why buy one? How often will
you use it?" he said. Kraus said the device the alliance reviewed had
some bugs. He said all vehicles become unstable when the wind blows
hard, and that the Cyberbug sometimes had trouble transmitting its
wireless signal. Still, he said, it has a place in law enforcement
and his organization is trying to get a grant so the Charles County
Sheriff's Office can use it.

True Test Yet To Come

At a county commissioners meeting in January, Police Chief Bill
Farley took questions from commissioner Mickey Price, who worried
that the plane was more toy than tool. It can be controlled by a
video game-like joystick (or by an autopilot that flies the aircraft
to preset points.)

Farley explained the potential benefits of the Cyberbug to
commissioners and it was ultimately approved. But Isenhour said the
true test will come when the Cyberbug takes to the skies.

"We've never had this capability before. We can say that we might use
it three times a week. Or we might use it one time a day. It's really
hard to say, because we haven't had the capability."

Cyberbug's Mission

The Gaston County Police says this is what they'll use the $30,000 UAV for:

* Finding people in wooded areas -- children, patients with
Alzheimer's disease or fugitives.

* Aerial surveillance of hostage situations.

* Observing large crowds at community events.

* Observing traffic patterns, particularly at wreck scenes.

* Assessing hazardous material scenes, fires and floods.

* Doing surveillance of suspected drug activity and identifying
locally cultivated marijuana.

* Recovering property abandoned or hidden on large tracts of land.

* Thermal rooftop inspections of public buildings.

* Observing training exercises.