Counter UAS Update, From the Floor of National Public Safety UAS Conference

The second day of the National Public Safety UAS Conference in VA began this morning with a series of sessions on some of the most critical issues facing the public safety community. One of those issues is the use of counter UAS technologies to keep unauthorized drones out of sensitive airspace, including the space over prisons where incursions are becoming more frequent.

While current counter UAS technology can detect, monitor and mitigate, the laws do not allow anyone to interfere with an aircraft except under very specific and very limited conditions, when Department of Justice personnel may be authorized to do so.  Public safety agencies or private industry, regardless of what infrastructure they may be responsible for protecting, are not authorized to take a rogue drone down.

Discussing the issue this morning was a panel of experts moderated by DJ Smith, the Virginia State Police Unmanned Aerial and CUAS Systems Program Coordinator and comprised  counter UAS Hub…