The NYPD has seized 97 drones since June 13 for violating temporary airspace restrictions over FIFA World Cup games and fan zone events in New York and New Jersey, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Wednesday, and she said seizures will continue through the July 4 weekend, according to the New York Daily News.
Tisch made the announcement at a press conference at NYPD headquarters in lower Manhattan. “We will continue to do this through July 4 weekend,” she said. “Anyone who illegally violates our airspace restrictions, your drone will be seized.”
Every one of the 97 seized devices was a remote-controlled hobbyist drone, not specialized equipment, Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said at the same press conference, the Daily News reported. “But that underlines how widely available they are and how many there are in the skies,” Weiner said. She called the drone mitigation program a “huge step forward” in protecting the city against a potential attack. “It doesn’t have to be a special drone,” she added. “Even a run-of-the-mill drone can be altered.”
The U.S. federal government gave the NYPD technology and training to disable drones electronically and fly them out of restricted airspace in late May, just before World Cup games began, the Daily News reported. Tisch said at the time that fear of a drone attack kept her up at night and that the new capability was necessary as threats evolve. “Tactics that once belonged to militaries are now accessible to smaller groups and individuals,” she said then.
Temporary flight restrictions have covered all games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as well as fan zone events and watch parties in both states, the Daily News reported. Those restrictions will extend this weekend to the Sail4th 250 maritime celebration and the Macy’s fireworks show.
The announcement follows a string of close calls at regional airports. On June 26, two planes approaching Newark International Airport spotted a drone above the airport that narrowly struck a United Airlines jet on landing, the Daily News reported. On Monday, a drone struck a JetBlue plane directly above the cockpit as it was landing at Kennedy Airport in Queens.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports each month, the Daily News reported. “The agency wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal,” the FAA said. “Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.”
Last year, the FBI needed to work alongside local police to monitor for suspicious drones during the city’s Fourth of July celebration because the NYPD lacked the authority to electronically jam and disable drones on its own, the Daily News reported.
Featured image: Bushwick Daily image
