Schumer urges US agencies to use advanced technology against mysterious drones

After weeks of fear and bewilderment Drones flying over parts of New York and New Jerseyelected officials are urging action to identify and stop mystery flights.

“There are a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. “The answer ‘We don’t know’ is not enough.”

National security officials have indicated that the drones do not appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a threat to public safety. But because they can’t say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden surges of drones over parts of New Jersey, New York and other areas of the eastern United States — or how they can be stopped — it has led leaders of both political parties to demand better technology and powers to deal with drones.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer on Sunday urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy better drone tracking technology to identify drones and their operators.

“New Yorkers have tremendous questions about this,” Schumer, the Senate majority leader, told reporters about the drone sightings. “We’re going to get the answers for them.”

The federal government did little to answer those questions in its own news reports Sunday morning.

“There is no doubt that people are seeing drones,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “But I want to assure the American people that we are on it. “We are working in close coordination with state and municipal authorities.”

Some of the drones reported over parts of New York and New Jersey turned out to be “manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones,” Mayorkas explained. “We are not aware of any foreign involvement regarding the sightings in the northeast. And we are attentive to the investigation of this matter.”

Last year, federal aviation rules began requiring certain drones to broadcast their identities, including the location of their operators. It is unclear whether that information has been used to determine who is operating the drones flying over locations in New York and New Jersey. Mayorkas’ office has not immediately responded to questions about whether they have been able to identify drones using this feature.

Schumer is calling for the federal government to use recently declassified radio wave technology in New York and New Jersey. The radio wave detector can be attached to a drone or airplane and is capable of determining whether another flying object is a bird or drone, reading its electronic record and following it to its landing site. Schumer clarified that state and local authorities do not have the authority to track drones.

On Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that federal authorities were sending a drone detection system to the state.

“This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations,” Hochul said in a statement. The governor did not immediately provide additional details, including where the system will be deployed.

Dozens of mysterious night flights began last month over parts of New Jersey, generating concern among residents and officials. Part of the concern comes from the flying objects initially being sighted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility, and over Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but are subject to local and FAA regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified.

Drones are now being reported along the entire northern East Coast, with suspicious sightings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to news reports.

Some American political leaders, including Trump, have urged much stronger action against these drones, including shooting them down.

Certain agencies within the Department of Homeland Security have the power to “incapacitate” drones, Mayorkas said Sunday. “But we need those authorities to expand.”

A bill before the U.S. Senate will enhance the authority of some federal agencies and give state and local agencies new abilities to track drones. It will also begin a pilot program that will allow states and local authorities to disrupt, disable or seize a drone without the operator’s prior consent.

“What the drone problem points to are gaps in our agencies, gaps in our authorities between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement and the Department of Defense,” said Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., the election of Trump to be his national security adviser, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Americans find it hard to believe that we can’t find out where they come from.”

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