By Joanna Putman
Police1
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. — Residents in Ocean County witnessed increased drone activity on Dec. 15 as the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office launched a new drone patrol unit and investigated numerous reports of unidentified drones in the area, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
Sheriff Michael Mastronardy confirmed sightings, including an incident where a deputy reported observing 50 drones flying from the ocean toward the mainland over Island Beach State Park, according to the report. The command center in Seaside Heights monitored the skies while deploying its own drones to investigate further.
The surge in drone sightings, which began in mid-November, has spanned New Jersey, Pennsylvania and four other states, with drones seen over homes, highways and military installations, according to the report. Despite reassurances from the White House that the drones do not pose a public safety or national security threat, local officials remain frustrated by the lack of detailed federal responses.
“This is affecting our citizens every day, every night, and this has to stop,” said Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi.
Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson Jr. echoed similar concerns, calling the federal government’s response “very, very insulting.”
In a press conference on Dec. 15, New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith announced plans to introduce federal legislation granting state and local law enforcement enhanced authority to counter drone activity.
“It will most of all allow the state police to have the same type of capability as the Department of Defense and Homeland Security that if necessary to down one of these unmanned drones,” Smith said.
