Drones newest: Conspiracies about function mount at the same time as White House, Pentagon attempt to quell fears
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Conspiracies about the mysterious spate of drone sightings have continued, fuelled by members of the Republican party, as the White House and Pentagon officials try to alleviate fears.
House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested on Wednesday that the Biden administration had brushed off concerns about the drones while providing no information as to their purpose. “This is why we need Donald J. Trump back in the White House, to bring a steady hand to the wheel and a strong commander-in-chief. He would have already had the answers,” he said during an episode of Fox and Friends.
Republican Representative Carlos Giménez of Florida told NewsNation he is most concerned that the government “hasn’t the faintest idea what’s going on with these drones” which, he claimed, “pose a threat.”
On Tuesday, Joe Biden insisted that there is “no sense of danger” surrounding drone sightings amid growing public demands for an explanation. “We’re following this closely, but so far no sense of danger,” he told reporters.
The mystery over the cluster of nightly drones that first appeared over areas of northern New Jersey in November has captivated the public and lawmakers. Some have theorized that the drones are a form of foreign surveillance, while others believe they could be searching for something.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger on mysterious drone sightings: ‘There’s much more that we could be doing’
Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is among lawmakers calling for more action on drone sightings around the US.
“From a legislating standpoint, there’s much more we could be doing to set clear parameters of where drones can go,” she told WUSA.
“I think people should have an expectation that state and federal leadership are working with law enforcement entities at the state and federal level to understand certainly most recent of flurry of drone activity that we have seen,” Spanberger said.
See it: Even more possible drones fly over New Jersey
NJ fire departments receive new guidance on drone response
The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety released a bulletin to fire departments with new safety recommendations for encountering downed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAV’s, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.
The guidance instructs fire service members to not approach downed or landed drones and to initially evacuate the area by 330 feet in all directions.
Sen. Rand Paul blocks bill that would let authorities track drones
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul blocked legislation Wednesday that would have expanded resources for state and local authorities to track drones over the Northeast.
Paul said the bill would give them unnecessary surveillance powers, according to The Hill.
Police, FBI investigate drones flying over a North Texas city
“We started responding to multiple reports of drones flying near city neighborhoods, federal and military properties on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 8:14 p.m,” White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said in a post on social media.
Cook said police were working with the FBI and other agencies to investigate the aircraft.
Possible drone seen over New Jersey amid sightings across the US
New York police drone operations under review in new report
A new report from the Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department has found that its policies lack transparency, with policies not fully describing its drone practices.
“Drones can be a critical public safety tool capable of enhancing NYPD operations. However, this Report found that NYPD’s Impact and Use policies do not fully and accurately describe the Department’s unmanned aircraft systems’ practices in certain respects and issued key recommendations to achieve that goal,” Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said.
“NYPD’s increase in drone usage in recent years has raised privacy concerns related to how drones are used to conduct police surveillance and monitoring,” said Inspector General Jeanene Barrett. “The recommendations in this Report call on NYPD to enhance its unmanned aircraft systems’ impact and use policy by providing additional information about the drone program and drone capabilities, thereby increasing public transparency related to NYPD’s use of this technology.”
Missouri police receive reports of mysterious lights that turn out to be holiday display
Missouri’s Eureka Police Department said Tuesday that it had received several reports of mysterious lights in the sky.
Those lights, however, turned out to be a holiday display at Brookdale Farms.
New York police got 120 calls about drones last weekend
Police in New York told The New York Times that they received 120 calls about drones last weekend.
However, most of the reports were not really about the drones at all, Rebecca Weiner, the department’s head of intelligence and counterterrorism, noted.
At least one person called about the planet Venus.
Weiner added that there has not been a marked increase in the number of actual drones spotted by the police.
Source: independent.co.uk
