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Posts Tagged ‘whose’

Case dismissed against George Steinmetz, whose drone was confiscated for documenting mass burials

18 Aug

Back in April, an award-winning National Geographic and New York Times photographer, George Steinmetz, had his DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone confiscated by the New York Police Department (NYPD) while documenting mass COVID-19 burials on Hart Island. Steinmetz was issued a desk ticket for violating NYC Administrative Code § 10–126, which prohibits the takeoff and landing of drones within New York City.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for early August. During that time, the NYPD held onto Steinmetz’ Phantom 4 Pro as ‘evidence.’ After an unsuccessful attempt to get it back, he went on to purchase two DJI Mavic 2 Pro drones. ‘I need to get back to work,’ Steinmetz explained. ‘The Mavic 2 Pro is in a real sweet spot for me. I prefer the optics and files from the big bird, the Inspire 2 with the X7 gimbal. But the Mav 2 flies really well, has a decent file…the compactness is quite revolutionary.’

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Preparing for burials of what appear to be more COVID-19 victims this morning on Hart Island, New York City. For over 150 years this island with no public access has been used to bury over a million souls who’s bodies were not claimed for private burial. With the morgues of NYC strained, the pace of burials on Hart Island has increased dramatically. I was cited by NYPD while taking this photo, and my drone was confiscated as evidence, for a court date tentatively scheduled for mid-August. #keepthememorycard

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Steinmetz’ story has a happy ending, after all. ‘My case was spontaneously dismissed last week [the week of August 7th, 2020], so I went down to the Bronx Police HQ on Wednesday and recovered it. During the time it was confiscated I had to buy a replacement to keep working, and don’t know if I will pursue any further legal action,’ he tells DPReview.

We will keep you updated if any new developments come about.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Seattle convicts drone operator whose UAV knocked a woman unconscious at a parade

22 Jan

Seattle drone operators are in the news again, and that’s not a good thing. A man whose drone struck a parade-goer in 2015 has been convicted of a gross misdemeanor – which may signal what’s to come for another drone operator who recently flew his drone into the Space Needle.

In 2015, a woman attending the Seattle Pride Parade was struck by a drone that fell after crashing into the side of a building. Drone operator Paul M. Skinner was charged with gross misdemeanor at the time, and has now been convicted following a four-day trial. This marks the first time Seattle’s Attorney Office has charged someone with the public mishandling of a drone.

The victim was struck in the head by the drone and suffered a concussion as a result, while an unnamed man suffered a ‘minor bruise,’ according to The Seattle Times. Skinner faces up to a $ 5,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail; his sentence will be issued on February 24.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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