NYPD wants power to take down any dangerous drones flying over NYC
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the department has already tracked over 75,000 drone flights this year—and with summer events heating up, that number is expected to spike.
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The NYPD says it's time for the city to have the power to take down drones that could pose a threat in the sky.
Right now, officers can track drones flying over New York City—but they can't do anything to stop them, even if they believe the drone is dangerous.
This weekend, the NYPD posted on X, saying: “The time for NYC to have the power to take down dangerous drones is now.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the department has already tracked over 75,000 drone flights this year—and with summer events heating up, that number is expected to spike.
Tisch says most drones are harmless, but it only takes one in the wrong hands to turn a large crowd into a disaster. She points out that only a handful of federal agencies— such as the Department of Homeland Security—are allowed to interfere with drone flights. And even then, they usually only step in for the biggest events in the country.
In a post of her own, Tisch said: “Drones are flying overhead — and while the NYPD can track them, we can’t act to mitigate them, even when there’s a clear threat. That has to change.”
Tisch argues the NYPD shouldn’t have to wait for federal help to act in the sky—just like the department doesn't rely on the federal government to secure major events on the ground.
This all comes as concerns over drone safety grow across the city. Last year, News 12 covered mysterious drone sightings over the Verrazzano Bridge and parts of Brooklyn that left many residents concerned. The drones were never linked to a foreign threat, but local officials raised serious questions about what’s allowed to fly over our neighborhoods.
Right now, it’s up to federal lawmakers to decide whether local police can get new powers to stop drones before something goes wrong.
