NYPD seeks White House approval to take down drones

The NYPD is looking to the White House for authority to intercept and disable drones — a power that, under federal law, is currently limited to federal agencies.

For now, New York City police must rely on federal partners to ground threatening drones during major events, such as this weekend’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration. Drone flight is already heavily restricted in the city due to the NYPD’s strict permitting system and the proximity to three major airports.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that while partnering with federal agencies works for planned events, it’s not always practical.

“We really need to be able to be nimble and have the authority to do drone mitigation ourselves,” she said.

The department has been lobbying Congress for permission to use new drone technology that can take down unauthorized drones. But Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said the White House may grant local authorities that ability soon through executive order.

“[It]  will hopefully, with federal government participation, give certain state and locals we hope, including NYPD, this capability,” she said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on June 6, doesn’t explicitly grant local police the authority to take down drones. Instead, it establishes a federal task force to review how to respond to drone threats and recommend changes to policy, regulations and enforcement. The group, chaired by the national security adviser, is tasked with proposing solutions “consistent with applicable law” and making recommendations to the president.

It also offers grants to local governments to buy drone detection and tracking equipment and creates a task force to explore additional regulatory changes.

Weiner said lobbying continues to get the NYPD formal “counter-drone mitigation authorities.”

“There are efforts underway through executive order as well as for years now pending legislation in front of Congress,” she said.

The NYPD is not alone in this battle for the unmanned skies. A number of defense contractors have marketed counter-drone tools to local police. The National Football League is also pushing for its own anti-drone systems.

Privacy advocates have said they worry the tech rush will cost New Yorkers. According to reporting by the New York Post, American Robotics CEO Eric Brock said a system of eight-pound racer drones would cost “less than $200,000.”

Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the New York-based Surveillance Technology Oversight Project — a nonprofit organization that advocates for reforms around technology overreach — said the city would be safer with the basics: better transit, social services and funding for the libraries.

“The idea that we're gonna spend money on a fleet of drones to disable attacks from other drones. … It feels like the NYPD is just in a paranoid bubble,” Cahn said.