Drones & U.S. Law Enforcement
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Post 1
This hearing touches on UAS and C-UAS - Match Ready: Oversight of the Federal Government’s Border Management and Personnel Readiness Efforts for the Decade of Sports.
Dr. Gina Ligon was one of the witnesses. What stood out to me during her remarks was the lack of research on drones domestically.
Here's one of the questions posed to her during the hearing (paraphrasing): Developing technologies, especially drones, pose significant threats. What suggestions do you have for the federal government to improve state and local law enforcement response?
Her response (paraphrasing): Most of our research is about drones in MENA or Mexico. Very little research domestically. We don’t fully know our AOR when it comes to drones. We simply don’t have the answers because there’s no way to systematically evaluate.
In my opinion, there is an opportunity for scholars and researchers to evaluate this area when it comes to domestic law enforcement application of the tech. This also should be noted by law enforcement agencies... without empirical research, how are you basing decisions? I recognize there is often a gap between theory and practice. Tech often arrives before widespread policy, legislation, and evaluation.
Post 2
There has been a lot of discussion this year at the national level about UAS and C-UAS.
With increased funding in the Big Beautiful Bill, the congressional hearings, and executive orders, it is reasonable to say there appears to be bipartisan support for U.S. law enforcement to have expanded UAS authorities, including (potentially) C-UAS.
Having been in the law enforcement technology space for over 20 years, I understand the challenges that agencies face when it comes to legal, policy, privacy, training, and safety with successful implementation. I've been a part of every aspect in one way or another over the years at the local, state, and national level. I've even been on the research/academic side of evaluating the efficacy of tech.
If you're interested in this space, whether you’re in law enforcement, research, industry, or related field, I encourage you to watch/listen to the hearings, review the EOs, and get familiar with the BBB. Feel free to share these resources with others.
Hearings (not exhaustive)
Securing the Skies: Law Enforcement, Drones, and Public Safety
Exploring the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Across the DHS Enterprise
Defending Against Drones: Setting Safeguards for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authorities
Executive Orders
Unleashing American Drone Dominance
Restoring Airspace Sovereignty
Post 3
ICYMI: The International Association of Chiefs of Police released this policy fact sheet addressing UAS threats and mitigation.
The second page addresses some legal and policy considerations.
One thing I would like to add is that interoperability between C-UAS technologies should also be a point of discussion among law enforcement agencies. Defense addresses this. I recommend civilian law enforcement agencies look to what's been done and lessons learned.