Unmanned Aerial System Team
Unmanned Aerial System Team Operations Manual
PREFACE
The following procedures are provided to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel assigned to the Unmanned Aerial System Team (UAST), department personnel in the area of the UAS operations, and the citizens of San Andreas. Safety will always be the primary concern for UAS operations.
1.0 ADMINISTRATION
1.1 Operations Manual
The policies and procedures contained in this manual are issued under the authority of the Chief of Police. As such, it is an official document of the Department.
The manual has been written to address unmanned aerial operations as they existed at the time of drafting. Equipment, personnel, environment, etc., change over time. It is therefore essential that this manual be reviewed and updated on a continual basis.
A copy of this manual shall be present during all UAS operations.
1.2 Organisation
The UAST shall be comprised of members from Counter Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau and Detective Bureau.
2.0 SAFETY POLICY
2.1 Commitment to Safety
If any member of UAST observes or has knowledge of an unsafe or dangerous act committed by another member, the UAST Captain shall be notified immediately so that corrective action may be taken.
3.0 GENERAL OPERATING PROCEDURES
3.1 Requests for UAS Support
Preplanned requests for UAS support shall be submitted to the appropriate OIC for approval at least 24 IRL hours in advance of the event.
Immediate requests in support of unplanned events shall be made via the Watch Commander; the decision to deploy UAST personnel will be made by the Watch Commander.
3.2 Mission Priorities
Several requests for UAS support may be received simultaneously. Given the limited UAS resource, it is necessary to prioritise calls for service. In general terms, call are prioritised as follows (listed in order of importance):
SWAT, Bomb Squad, Haz-Mat Operations;
In-Progress calls involving a threat to the safety of any person;
Search and Rescue;
Searches for fleeing suspects;
Crime in Progress calls;
Reconnaissance;
Traffic accident scene processing;
Crime scene processing;
Requests to support other public agencies; and,
Photo flights.
3.3 Minimum UAS Flight Crew Requirements
Due to the nature of how UAS operates within FiveM, only 1 member of the UAST is needed for any flight operation.
Pilot: Shall get into the UAS and fly it.
Directly responsible and is the final authority over the operation of the UAS;
Have the absolute authority to reject a flight due to weather, aircraft limitations, physical conditions, etc. No member of the Department, regardless of rank, can order a Pilot to make a flight when, in the opinion of the Pilot, it would be unsafe to do so.
Note: The Pilot will disappear from the world when climbing into the UAS. Therefore, they should Roleplay that they are controlling the UAS from inside their vehicle.
3.4 Personal Protective Equipment
Personnel in close proximity to UAS launches and recoveries shall wear protective eyewear.
3.5 Preflight Actions
Thorough preflight planning and inspections are critical to safe operations.
UAST members shall assess their own ability to pilot the UAS.
3.5.1 UAS Inspection
Prior to deployment, a team member shall conduct a thorough preflight inspection of the UAS.
All mission equipment will be tested and securely attached to the UAS prior to flight.
3.5.2 Weather Observations
Prior to each deployment of the UAS, a team member shall obtain a full and detailed weather forecast for the area of operation (AO).
Frequency of weather forecasts shall be determined by the severity of existing or forecasted weather during the planned operation.
3.5.3 Documentation
The physical assessment, UAS inspection, and weather conditions shall be documented prior to flight.
3.6 Post Flight
A thorough inspection of the UAS will be conducted to ascertain if any damage was sustained.
If necessary, the UAS will be serviced immediately and returned in a deployment ready state.
3.7 Constitutional Aspects of Aerial Searches
3.7.1 Aerial searches to inspect, or gather evidence of activity on the ground may, under some circumstances, intrude into a person's reasonable expectation of privacy and therefore come under the protection of the Fourth Amendment.
3.7.2 The Supreme Court has cautioned against assuming that compliance with Department of Federal Aviation regulations will automatically satisfy Fourth Amendment requirements.
3.7.3 Members of the UAST shall not use a UAS to surveil private property unless the law enforcement agency has obtained either of the following: a search warrant; the expressed permission of the person or entity with the legal authority to authorise a search of the specific private property to be subjected to surveillance; or, exigent circumstances where there is imminent threat to life or great bodily harm, including but not limited to, fires, hostage crisis, barricaded suspects, "hot pursuit" situations if reasonably necessary to prevent harm to law enforcement officers or others and search and rescue operations.
3.7.4 It is essential to note that case law in the area of UAS searches has not yet matured to the point that clear guidelines have evolved. In all cases of UAS deployment, reasonableness and respect for the privacy of individuals shall guide the actions of all UAST personnel.
4.0 UAS OPERATIONS
4.1 General
UAS will be operated in accordance with this manual, Department of Federal Aviation (DFA) and the manufacturer's manual.
4.2 Official Use Only
Personal use of the UAS is prohibited.
4.3 Weather
4.3.1 Flight into inclement meteorological conditions, thunderstorms, or other severe weather is prohibited.
4.3.2 No UAS operations will be conducted beyond line of sight.
4.3.3 Weather minimums are not applicable to indoor operations.
4.4 Maximum and Minimum Altitudes
4.4.1 The maximum altitude for operations is 500ft. This is done to ensure maximum safety in respect to DFA regulations which require aircraft to fly no lower than 500ft.
4.4.2 The minimum altitude is one at which operations can be conducted without undue risk to persons or property on the ground.
4.5 Ground Safety
4.5.1 The pilot must be constantly aware of dangers to ground personnel from moving rotors.
4.5.2 Only mission essential personnel will be in proximity to UAS launch and recovery activities.
4.6 Night Operations
4.6.1 UAS team members should obtain the minimum altitude necessary to avoid obstructions in the AO prior to nightfall if at all possible.
5.0 CONTROLS
5.1 Flying
Controls share the same control scheme as the Hydra jump jet. Press E to swap between hover mode and jet mode.
5.2 Camera
5.2.1 Inside the camera view you can still fly around.
5.2.2 Press E to open the camera view.
5.2.3 Inside camera view, press Right Mouse Button to go into Night vision mode
5.2.4 Inside camera view, press Right Mouse Button again to go into IR mode.
5.2.5 It is unrealistic for a drone to have a full spotlight, so avoid pressing F (which toggles the spotlight).
6.0 LEARNING THE UAS
6.1 Own Time
Pilots shall learn to fly the UAS in their own free time. They should be competent in their operation of the UAS before using it on a deployment.
SAFETY DISCLAIMER: If you crash the UAS, it explodes with the same force as a crashing jet fighter due to game limitations. For that reason, please avoid crashing the UAS.
SAFETY DISCLAIMER #2: The propeller blades of the UAS have the same properties as blades of a helicopter, or a propeller plane, ie., anything that touches them will be instakilled. For that reason, please avoid taking off, flying and landing the UAS in close proximity of other humans.
Pilots should be able to confidently:
Take off;
Fly; and,
Land.
7.0 VEHICLES
7.1 UAS Deployment
The UAS may be spawned by typing in the spawn code poldrone. There is one shared model for all agencies, with 5 specific liveries for the LSPD, LSSD, BCSO, NOOSE and USMS. Please use livery appropriate for the agency you are on duty as.
7.2 Agencies
Different agencies will use different vehicles by the officers assigned to UAST. On scene supervisors or a Division Officer-In-Charge may use their discretion to approve a realistic vehicle that might not necessarily be mentioned here.
7.1.1 Los Santos Police Department
lspdyanktondp - LSPD Brute Yankton (unmarked Dual Purpose)
lspdspeedo - LSPD Speedo Express (marked Dual Purpose)
lspdalamo - LSPD Declasse Alamo (Black and White)
lspdriot, lspdtarv - LSPD Brute Riot and Vapid TARV (marked Dual Purpose)
lspdcommand - LSPD MTL Command Truck (marked Dual Purpose)
7.1.2 Los Santos County Sheriff's Department
lssdboxville - LSSD Brute Boxville (marked Dual Purpose)
lssdtarv - LSSD Vapid TARV (marked Dual Purpose)
lssdalamounmarked, lssdalamounmarked2 - LSSD Declasse Alamo (unmarked Dual Purpose)
lssdcommand - LSSD MTL Command Truck (marked Dual Purpose)
lssdsandking - LSSD Vapid Sandking truck (marked/unmarked Dual Purpose)
7.1.2 Blaine County Sheriff's Office
bcsolandstalker3 - BCSO Dundreary Landstalker XL (unmarked Dual Purpose)
bcsoalamo6 - BCSO Declasse Alamo (unmarked Dual Purpose)
bcsocommand - BCSO MTL Command Post (marked Dual Purpose)
7.1.2 National Office of Security Enforcement
fbi2 - generic federal Declasse Granger (unmarked Dual Purpose)
7.1.2 United States Marshal Service
usmsrumpo - USMS Bravado Rumpo (marked Dual Purpose)