Intel Officials Warn Police That US Cities Are Not Prepared For Hostile Drones

In a memo obtained by WIRED, DHS expresses little confidence in its ability to detect threat drones. The document, which government officials have been advised not to disclose to the public, states that “the techniques and technology to avoid the power of UAS are distributed and sold on the Internet with little or no regulation.” Instead, law enforcement’s ability to track errant drones is hampered by a variety of evolving technologies, the memo says, including “autonomous flight, 5G command and control, security technology, embedded technology, and software that circumvents geofencing restrictions.”

The New Jersey case and similar cases in Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland, among other states, have highlighted ongoing efforts by state and federal lawmakers to expand government access to anti-UAS technology. Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Saturday, a DHS official said the agency is urging Congress to “extend and expand existing authorities,” and ensure that “states and local governments are given the tools they need to respond to these types of threats.”

Currently, only a handful of government agencies — including DHS and the Departments of Energy, Justice, and Defense — are authorized to shoot down drones inside US aircraft.

Property of the People’s director, Ryan Shapiro, says the August memo shows that DHS is working relentlessly to find new technologies and legal opportunities in law enforcement. But the potential impact on the civil rights of Americans, he says, should not be justified by a “false, misleading threat”.

While terms like “violent terrorists” describe neo-Nazis and domestic terrorists who hope to start a second US civil war, Shapiro says the government has also subtly used such labels to help discredit animal rights groups. on company law. Aid workers have relied heavily on drones over the past decade, he says, to help collect evidence of factory farm abuse-where covert recording is stopped by so-called “ag-gag” laws.

At a briefing Saturday, FBI officials said authorities received about 5,000 tips related to the East Coast sightings, leading to 100 leads. Most of the reports seem to be consistent, they said, with unidentified planes landing and taking off from major local airports.

While the FBI tried to allay concerns over the recent incident, it also urged the American public not to dismiss the idea that dangerous drones pose a serious threat. “We are well aware that criminals use (drones) to support their activities,” said one official, adding that, unlike recent incidents, it appears to be positive.

In a statement to WIRED, a DHS spokesperson said the agency continues to “advise federal, state, and local agencies to be vigilant about potential threats and encourages the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”