Hochul, Schumer weigh in on drone sightings in New York
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) holds a photo of a hobby drone at a press conference Sunday where he urged the deployment of advanced technology to determine the source of dozens of drones sighted above Long Island and other areas of New York State. Credit: Ed Quinn
Federal officials are deploying a new detection system to investigate an increase in drone sightings in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday.
Blurry images and videos of drones in the skies above New York and New Jersey have flooded social media over the past month, capturing people’s attention and raising unanswered questions about who is flying them.
In a statement Sunday, Hochul described the system as "state of the art" but didn't immediately provide details about how it works or what federal agency is involved.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on the federal Department of Homeland Security to use radar technology by Robin, a Netherlands-based company, to determine the source of the drones.
"People have more questions than answers," Schumer said at a news conference Sunday, calling on the Department of Homeland Security to launch the Robin system.
Robin manufactures a 360-degree radar detection system that collects data on drones and birds in the air. A flock of "Robins" across the New York-New Jersey metro area, Schumer said, will allow officials to see what type of drones have been dominating local skies. The Robin radar is not a drone itself, and must be attached to a drone or plane.
Suffolk County police said they received 16 reports of drone sightings on Thursday. Nassau County police said they’d received 55 reports of drone sightings since Friday alone, and 79 since Nov. 1. Stewart International Airport in Orange County halted takeoffs and landings for about an hour on Friday night after a drone sighting.
Hochul and Schumer are asking Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety and Reauthorization Act, which they both said would allow certain state and local law enforcement agencies to police drones.
Hochul also asked President Joe Biden to increase the number of federal law enforcement agents assigned to New York and New Jersey.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
