The NYPD has a fleet of at least 109 drones that could be called into service in the wake of the recent incursions into the skies over New York and New Jersey.
An NYPD official said the sighting was being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“We have NYPD detectives as well as FBI agents and state officials working on this,” said spokesman Carlos Nieves. He declined to provide specific information about the investigation and referred reporters to the FBI.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 60 police officers, many of whom are licensed by the FAA, are trained to use devices called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAUs).
The NYPD is using a model of drone called the Skydio X10 in its Drone First Responder pilot program, which dispatches the device to 911 calls at five precincts.
The department has not said whether the drones have weapons capabilities, but the manufacturer’s website calls them “combat ready.”
“When you choose a UAS, move with speed and efficiency. , , Adapted to meet defense requirements,” The website tells. “Observe persons, vehicles or suspicious objects at a distance of 1 km to accurately identify hostile intent.”
The website states that the model also has night vision capabilities and a platform that allows it to be fitted with attachments in the field.
The first responder program uses drones to respond to 911 calls in Brooklyn’s 75th, 67th and 71st precincts, the Bronx’s 48th precinct and the Central Park precinct, which saw a spike in crime over the summer and has many blind spots due to shortages. Of cameras, officials have said.
Drones can hover over the pursuit location and alert police to their location as suspects flee. They can also respond when children are missing or in danger.
In one recent case, a drone responded to a 4-year-old girl hanging from a fourth-floor window in the Bronx, said Kaz Daughtry, deputy commissioner of operations.
“He launched his Skydio X10 drone at that building,” Daughtry said. The drone operator “alerted police over the radio and told those police officers you need to hurry up and get there,” Daughtry said.
The NYPD has said the drones, which have also been used to respond to tragedies like garage collapses and recent brush fires in the city, do not include facial recognition technology.
The NYPD first launched its drone program in 2018 with 14 devices.
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