Unmanned Aircraft Systems as most people know them — drones — are getting increasingly popular across the U.S. As they do, regulations around when and where people can fly their drones are lagging behind Oklahoma’s and the nation’s need for them.
Right now, federal law classifies drones as a form of airplane, meaning they’re protected from being shot down or otherwise disabled by local police without certain permissions.
So, instead of destroying the drones, Stitt has opted to monitor and identify them to protect Oklahomans and the state’s critical infrastructure.“This technology is new, and because of that, we don’t have all the measures in place to ensure Oklahomans are protected from those who would use this technology to harm others,” Stitt said in a Monday press release.
He directed the state’s public safety commissioner, Tim Tipton, to look into procuring tech that would meet the state’s needs. Tipton said he is ready to execute the governor’s order.
The move follows a series of sightings of drones flying at night across the country, and a Biden administration calls for Congress to regulate them.
Sightings occurred primarily in New Jersey over the weekend, but a few have been reported in Oklahoma.
“While we’ve only had a few reports of drone activity in Oklahoma, we want to be ready in case the need arises,” said Commissioner Tipton. “I’m glad Governor Stitt takes this threat seriously and will equip the Department of Public Safety adequately.”
At the national level, Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, told ABC News on Sunday that his department is working on identifying drones flying at night and better working with local authorities to address problematic ones.
It would be good, Mayorkas said, if Congress allowed better and more streamlined avenues for local and federal authorities to cooperate.
“It’s clear, as a number of us have said for years, that we need Congress to address the drone situation,” he said. “We want state and local authorities to also have the ability to counter drone activity under federal supervision.”
For now, Mayorkas said no foreign involvement has been identified in connection to any of the spotted drones.
And if people are concerned about the sightings happening specifically at night, it makes sense, he said, because the Federal Aviation Administration recently allowed unmanned aircraft to fly in low light.
“There are more than 8,000 drones flown every day in the United States,” Mayorkas said.
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