By Rocco Parascandola
New York Daily News
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NEW YORK — A contingent of NYPD officers has been trained to disable drones electronically and fly them out of restricted air space, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Thursday.
The officers will work in tandem with the FBI at upcoming FIFA World Cup events in New York and New Jersey in June and July — with the NYPD subsequently devoted to using them on an everyday basis, whether at planned events, where hobbyists have been known to fly their drones, or during terror investigations.
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Tisch, who admitted the thought of a drone attack keeps her up at night, said the “operational breakthrough” is necessary in an ever-changing threat landscape.
“Tactics that once belonged to militaries are now accessible to smaller groups and individuals,” Tisch said at a One Police Plaza press conference. “The threat picture has changed, the technology has changed, and our capabilities have to change with it.”
Drone mitigation, as it is known, until the passage last year of the Safer Skies Act, had been the domain of the FBI.
The NYPD officers are among a group of several dozen, including from various other city and state agencies, who were recently trained in counter-drone technology by the FBI in Alabama. The technology does not involve using weapons to shoot a drone out of the sky.
Tisch said the NYPD in recent months spent $6.5 million on drone mitigation equipment. Asked about the large crowds that have gathered outside Madison Square Garden during the Knicks playoff run, she said the department has a security contingent for it, but wouldn’t say if drones had been a concern there thus far.
In the past, Tisch said, the FBI a number of times has helped disable drones at the NYPD’s request, but details were not immediately available.
The NYPD started its own drone program at the end of 2018.
In 2024, it started using drones as first responders, noting a drone can sometimes get to a crime scene before a patrol car stuck in traffic, and can spot and record critical information and evidence, such as a gunman on a roof.
The department also uses drones to track swimmers in distress and subway surfers.
According to department data, the NYPD in the first three months of this year, used drones 2,595 times, including 2,075 times as a first responder, 31 times for rooftop observations or large-scale events, and 82 times to monitor traffic and pedestrian congestion at major events.
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