Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - Over the last few weeks in parts of the Northeast, several reported drone sightings have not only resulted in some fear and bewilderment, but also some wild conspiracy theories about who or what may be flying overhead.
National security officials say the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat, but because they can’t say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden swarms of drones over parts of New Jersey, New York and other Eastern parts of the U.S. - or how they can be stopped - political leaders and others are demanding answers when dealing with these drones.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says there’s no question people are seeing drones, but assures the American public that officials in Washington, D.C. are on it, and working in close coordination with state and local authorities.
Mayorkas adds some of the drones reported have turned out to be "manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones," reiterating no known foreign involvement.
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Among the local authorities keeping tabs on any reports of drones is New York State Police. Trooper James O'Callaghan says while these drones haven't been seen or reported in Western New York, there are 9-1-1 or non-emergency line call-ins coming from the Southern part of the state, near New York City and Long Island.
"We're working with the FAA, the federal government, because when you call 9-1-1, it doesn't go to the FAA. It goes to your local law enforcement, and then depending on the closest car or however your law enforcement agencies are set up in that region or area, that would go to that general person. But we don't have the technology and kind of the setup to track droning, to track remote IDs and to figure out what that is," said O'Callaghan in an interview with WBEN. "Yeah, you can look up and say, 'That's a plane, that's a drone, or that's something else,' but we have to pass that along to the FAA, because they have the systems and the technology for that. That's what we're kind of doing at this point."
Last year, federal aviation rules began requiring certain drones to broadcast their remote identification, including the location of their operators. O'Callaghan compares a drone's remote identification very much like one's VIN number in their vehicle.
"That VIN number is stamped on the car in multiple different locations for investigative reasons and/or tracking reasons on your vehicle. It's no different than the drone," O'Callaghan said. "The drone, when you purchase, has, what's called, a remote ID. FAA regulations now, you cannot fly a drone or take off with a drone without that remote ID being active. So much so that the software you're using won't even let you take off until it detects their remote ID. What the remote ID does is it tells all the other things in the sky and the FAA, 'Hey, I'm up here with you. This is where I'm going, this is what I'm doing.' That is a specific ID to that drone, to that drone operator."
For many drones, especially ones flown by entities like New York State Police, O'Callaghan says it is required for pilots to have their Part 107 license.
"That means I'm a drone pilot, that means I can fly not only as a hobbyist, but I can fly commercially. It means I can fly my drone to take pictures of the house you're selling and, in turn, make money off of that, or go that route if I wanted to," O'Callaghan noted. "In order to fly a drone for the New York State Police, you would have to have your Part 107 because we, as the New York State Police, are considered a commercial industry. It's not a hobby to fly for the New York State Police, it's more of a commercialized item."
As for the type of drones available to New York State Police, O'Callaghan says there's a multitude of them, with some depending on the type of mission.
"Some very small that our SWAT team might use to enter a house, maybe to check things out. We have collision reconstruction drones that are mission-specific, with the camera system. And then we have search and rescue drones. Those are the big boys. Those are the drones where you're like, 'Is that a drone? What is this thing in the sky?'" O'Callaghan explained. "There's a multitude of manufacturers, and our largest drone is probably the size of close to an engine of a vehicle. It's a big drone that comes in a couple different Pelican cases that's put together on site. Multiple cameras on it, FLIR cameras, and we're able to fly that at a considerable speed and search for people, either wanted or missing in wooded areas or otherwise. And the capabilities of these things are amazing."
For drones flown by hobbyists, they're much smaller, and can be often available for purchase at a local retailer for $1,000-to-$1,200. O'Callaghan adds depending on what they're being used for, that's how it would determine any potential licensing.
As for spotting a potential drone in the sky, O'Callaghan notes its often times difficult, especially when the most common occurrences are being reported at night.
"You're just seeing blinking lights. And those lights are very bright, for one, and up 400 feet, even 300 feet, 'Is that a plane? Is that a drone?' It is very difficult to tell," he said. "And a normal person is taking a picture with their cell phone, let's be honest. They don't have like this $4,000 Canon or Nikon they're taking a picture with with amazing zoom capabilities. So most of these pictures or videos will be done through some sort of cellular phone. The quality is terrible, and it's very difficult to make up because of the depth of night time. And that's where we have to [contact the FAA and say], 'OK FAA, what are we looking at here?' Or what pieces of technology the New York State Police have, without showing our hand, that we could utilize to figure out what this thing is?"
When it comes to daytime flying, O'Callaghan says the lights on the drone will still flash, but they're significantly reduced because of the broad daylight.
"A lot of times, you can hear the drone during the day, but you don't see the drone. It sounds like bumblebees, it sounds like a humming noise, and you look up, you don't see anything, and all of a sudden, you're like, 'Oh, there it is. It's just a little dot in the sky,' but the lights aren't as significant because it's daylight. That's a drone," O'Callaghan added. "But even then, your camera on your cell phone, once you see it in daylight, it's obvious, like, 'That's this drone or that drone.'"
At the end of the day, O'Callaghan advises that if anyone sees a drone, figure out how it may be personally affecting you.
"Is this a situation where I need to call 9-1-1, because I personally believe that this item that's flying around me, this drone is a hazard to me personally? At the end of the day, in law enforcement, we have to look at that too, we have to juggle that. If someone calls and they're like, 'I see it way off in the distance and the blinking lights.' I mean, it could be anything. How close are we talking here?" O'Callaghan noted.
"Let's put it in perspective. Is it intruding personally? Are you in your backyard? Now it's winter in Buffalo, it's cold, but let's say this continues on until summer, we often get drone complaints, people in their pools, 'There's a drone over my house, it's right over my house.' OK, we're gonna send someone out. Your residence is private. You have expectation of privacy there. It's not like being at the Walmart, where you have no expectation of privacy, it's a public place. So obviously we want to deal with that, and the same case here: What are we talking about here? Is this personally affecting you?"
And if anyone does encounter a drone that may be intruding a certain space above, O'Callaghan implores people to not attempt to shoot them out of the sky.
"We have people that try to take matters into their own hands, shooting things down, maybe they shouldn't. We're not at war," he said. "Whatever you fire off in the sky, if it's some sort of AR platform weapon, a pistol, a shotgun, even a one ounce slug, whatever goes up must come down. And you have to remember that. Depending on the round, a 9mm could travel at 1,200 foot a second. Your .223, 5.56, could be anywhere around 3,000 foot a second. That's pretty quick. A mile is only 5,000 and change, so you start blasting rounds off up in the sky, it's eventually got to arc down somewhere. You got to really think about that. You're really putting a lot of people at risk when you start doing something that foolish."
That's why O'Callaghan is advising residents: If you see something, say something.
"That's important, because if you think that something's not right, we absolutely want you to call 9-1-1, or a non-emergency number, depending on the situation, and we will take that information as part of our investigation," O'Callaghan said. "And if we deem it to where we need to send that to the proper channels, federally and/or continue on locally, we will do that."