More domestic spying in the name of the hunt for a murder suspect

As the manhunt for fugitive murder suspect and former cop Christopher Dorner continues into its 4th day, members of a 125 member task force formed to find him have revealed that drones are being used to bring him to justice, reports the Daily Express.

A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”

The use of drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash for the Mexican border since his rampage began.

He said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

This is an explosive revelation in the midst of President Barack Obama struggling with criticism of a drone war that has expanded dramatically under his administration and has been responsible for the murders of close to 200 innocent children.

Critics have denounced the inhumanity of drone warfare. Additionally, the United Nations has launched an investigation into the legality of the expanding US drone war because “of the more than 3,000 people killed in US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, 500 were civilians.”

While many in support of drones may argue that the hunting of a murder suspect is just cause for such extreme measures, once drones become acceptable on domestic soil and our civilian causalities begin adding up, they might be singing a different song.

Murder is a lot harder to stomach when we personally know the victims.