Several federal agencies released a joint statement Tuesday in response to thousands of drone sightings.
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The FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks with approximately 100 leads generated, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the statement said.
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The agencies said they have not determined a national security or public safety risk associated with the drone sightings.
News Center 7 has previously reported that drones were reported at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, causing the airspace to be restricted for four hours Friday night into Saturday.
The joint statement said drones within restricted airspace, like Wright Patterson’s, “are not new.”
“DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate. Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place,” the statement said.
The agencies urged Congress to enact counter-unmanned aircraft system (UAS) legislation that would allow authorities to mitigate “any threat that may emerge.”
We will continue to follow this story.
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