By Tony Hallett
The attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, thrust drones into the national spotlight. Federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers didn’t deploy drones. The shooter — a 20-year-old kitchen worker — did. And that pretty much illustrates the situation in America today: Few communities are protected by drones; even fewer are protected from drones.
Tragedy exposes risk and motivates change. The Butler shooting revealed how a lone wolf with a drone and AR gained a tactical advantage over dozens of law enforcement officers. The deadly consequences present a call to action to fully integrate drones and countermeasures into public safety agencies.
An introduction to drones
Drones are airborne robots that extend operational capabilities or create novel advantages while simultaneously reducing risk or exposure of remote operators. They provide unique perspectives of subjects large or small, stationary or mobile. Their powerful sensors detect, record and stream imagery from both visible and non-visible spectrum.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authority over anything that operates in America’s airspace, including drones. As of early 2024, the FAA has registered 782,203 drones and 1,182,442 drone pilots. The actual number of both is likely much higher. [1,2]
Drones and public safety
For centuries, “high walls” and “high ground” protected the populace and provided warriors with tactical advantage. Castle towers afforded overwatch; walls obstructed intrusion. Today, a child with a $300 drone can fly higher than any observation post and easily scale any wall.
The US and England innovated the use of radio-controlled pilotless aircraft for training and target practice during WWI and WWII, then for recon and decoys in the Vietnam War. Military “drones” inspired the growth of recreational remote-controlled (RC) aircraft which today boasts well over one million civilians of all ages.
Military investments between 1991 and 2010 dramatically accelerated advancements in uncrewed, autonomous and vision technologies, as well as a significant expansion of the US Military-Industrial Complex.
As conflicts and military drone orders subsided, vendors began pressuring the FAA to open America’s airspace to drones. Believing it would be easy to transition “military” applications to “paramilitary” applications, public safety was an early target market.
It was a significant miscalculation. Privacy and anti-war advocates led public opposition to the use of drones by first responders. The Great Recession had flattened public budgets. Chiefs saw risks and headaches. Drones were stuck on backburners until the FAA issued comprehensive drone rules under CFR Part 107 in 2016.
It’s not clear how many drone teams are embedded in police and fire departments, emergency services agencies and correctional facilities today: 3,000 in various stages of growth seems like a fair estimate. Many large agencies have built impressive, well-trained drone programs. However, the majority of public safety drone teams have shoestring budgets under $10,000.
Protecting communities from drones
Drones present unique and significant threats to communities.
A drone is an airborne intermediary, pre-programmed or remotely controlled, responding to instructions from an unknown source. How will residents react if a drone is seen hovering between homes? Or outside of a school or daycare? Or at night? Will a responding officer know how to approach the drone, gauge possible intentions and threats, locate the operator, and determine if the flight is legal?
The FAA’s priority of aviation safety is reflected in its regulations. Non-compliant drone pilots present a risk to other aircraft and people below. The problem is extensive. The National Football League reported approximately 2,500 drone incursions at stadiums during the 2022-23 season. Since 2021, there have been more than 2,000 drone sightings at airports, 60 of which caused pilots to take evasive action. This past July Fourth, drone countermeasure Dedrone found that one-third of drone pilots violated FAA rules. [3]
Drones also present a growing criminal threat, fueling an increase in property damage, harassment, privacy intrusions, stalking and even UFO sightings. Recreational drones are disrupting aerial fire and medical operations. Drones smuggling contraband is confounding prisons nationwide. The ultimate concern, of course, is the deployment of weaponized drones by domestic or transnational terrorists. [4-8]
A growing body of countermeasures (cUAS) to detect and mitigate drone intrusion threats are being deployed at military bases, nuclear facilities, prisons, international borders and major events. However, only a handful of federal agencies are authorized to use high-end systems. The only detection tool available to local agencies is publicly available third-party apps that detect data about the drone and operator if it is equipped with Remote ID. Local and state officers are not permitted to use electronic jamming systems. [9-11]
Every street in America is at risk for unfriendly drone intrusions. Local and state agencies are entitled to demand pilot and drone information from an operator and, if warranted, obtain investigative assistance from the FAA. Unfortunately, few departments have effective drone detection policies. For example, in June 2024, the General Accounting Office reported the local law enforcement agencies they contacted “had little knowledge of Remote ID or how it could be used in their investigations.” [12]
Protecting communities with drones
Drones have amazing versatility. They provide overwatch/situational awareness while simultaneously reconstructing incident scenes. Their powerful sensors can see what human eyes cannot. They cover far more ground much faster than any search or pursuit team. They help keep first responders safe and healthy. They are excellent PR and recruiting tools.
Establishing and sustaining a public safety drone program requires a significant, long-term commitment of resources. Most agency budgets have been depleted by overtime costs. It’s hard to find people to fill jobs and volunteers are vanishing. Training is a major problem for most public safety drone teams. The Regional Training Center’s Drone Training Program in Los Angeles is exemplary, but most teams across the country train at local parks using homemade “curriculum.”
It also involves plenty of risk. Flying a drone is easy. Flying a drone legally is not and the consequences of non-compliance can be catastrophic.”
NEXT: After you’ve finished reading, take a moment to check out the Policing Matters podcast. In this episode, we explore how drones are changing the game for first responders. Learn how this cutting-edge technology is improving response times, boosting safety and transforming public safety operations. Listen to the full podcast here.
Tipping point
Public safety has been in crisis for years. Demographic disruptions and evolving generational culture have depleted our greatest asset — a dedicated, altruistic workforce. Yet, America’s public safety professions have been slow to integrate new technologies into reliable, time-tested emergency response protocols.
A few hundred mature drone programs embedded in large and midsized agencies affirm the value of uncrewed airborne support. Many are ready to transition to the next level - Drone as a First Responder (DFR) and Beyond Visual Line-Of-Sight (BVLOS) operations. A few thousand fledgling drone teams across the country are gaining a foothold but need access to funding, personnel, and tactical training.
And they have to be utilized.
There are at least six experienced public safety drone teams near Butler, Pennsylvania. None were activated to support security for a former U.S. President. That’s not unusual. A year earlier the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine triggered an environmental catastrophe in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Yet, as first responders confronted breached and burning rail cars through the night, local drone teams sat at home watching news coverage.
The failures at the Trump rally in Butler are alarming. However, it is encouraging that political leaders and the general public recognize both the value and threats presented by drones. Perhaps we have reached a tipping point where public safety drone teams will be soon be fully integrated into operations, budgets, grant programs, training centers and maybe even high-profile events.
References
1. Kastelo H. (March 2, 2022.) We don’t trust the FAA’s drone numbers at all. DroneXL.
2. McNabb H. (July 28, 2020.) How many drone pilots are flying without a license? DroneLife.
3. Singh I. (July 4, 2024.) One in three drone pilots violate FAA rules on July 4: Dedrone. DroneDJ.
4. Convicted Sex Offender Arrested for Using Drone for Video Voyeurism on Cranston Woman, June 24, 2023.
5. Canonsburg man faces trailer allegedly stalking teenage girls with drone, July 9, 2024.
6. New Jersey business owner accused of using drone to dye neighborhood pools green, September 6, 2023.
7. Elaborate scheme used drones to drop drugs in prisons, authorities in Georgia say, March 30, 2024.
8. Narco-Drones: The Use of Drones by Drug Cartels, October 5, 2023.
9. Super Bowl security prepares for drones with trackers and jammers, February 9, 2024.
10. Successful drone detection at Tomorrowland 2024, August 1, 2024.
11. 2024 Paris Olympics security challenge include 53 intercepted drones, August 1, 2024.
12. Drones: Actions Needed to Better Support Remote Identification in the National Airspace, June 2024
About the author
Tony Hallett has actively promoted integration of new technologies into public safety protocols and operations for more than three decades. His ventures drew from experience in law enforcement, EMS, and academic research. Hallett is a cofounder and CEO of Unmanned Response, a drone training and services organization in southwest Pennsylvania.
