Civilian patrol acquires 100-acre base

CLAUDINE LoMONACO

Published: 05.03.2007

A southern Arizona civilian patrol group is expanding onto 100 acres along the U.S.-Mexico border near the San Pedro River.

American Border Patrol founder Glenn Spencer formerly ran the group's high-tech surveillance operations from an adjacent 4-acre plot of land a quarter-mile from the border.

"Now we'll have a half a mile directly on the border," he said. "We've got a lot of drug vehicles coming through here, but we're putting a stop to it."

The volunteer group uses cameras, ground sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor and report border activity to federal authorities.