BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — With numerous reports of sightings of drones across the Northeast, many are wondering what’s going on.
While drones have become more commonly used, there have been some sightings that no one seems to have explanations for.
One sighting over Stewart Airfield in eastern New York Friday led to airspace in the area being shut down.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said in statements over the weekend that she wants to federal government to assist in helping local agencies deal with the suspicious drone activity.
The New York State Police says it’s also investigating. The agency said there’s “no evidence at this point that any of the reported sightings pose a public safety threat,” but said the public can report suspicious sightings to crimetip@troopers.ny.gov. You're asked to provide the time, date and location of the sighting along with any photos or video.
I spoke with Mickey Osterreicher, a Buffalo attorney who is the general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association. He’s an expert on drone use by media, including 7 News.
He said drone usage is highly regulated and questioned why authorities haven’t been able to identify the operators of the drones.
“There are certainly systems in place and have been in place for many years to be able to detect, not only the drones, but where the operator of the drone, the pilot of the drone, is located and the fact that they haven't used those really surprises me,” he said.
Local officials have been able to do just that when people have violated airspace rules above Highmark Stadium during Buffalo Bills games.
“We've had a few situations over or near those stadiums and they've been able to pick them up right away. It’s not only obviously where the drone is, but they can figure out where the operator is and then take enforcement action,” he said.
Osterreicher believes most of the cases likely involve people who just don’t know the rules. But there are some unexplained sightings.
“I think that either the government itself or…some entity that's working with the government are operating these drones…or there are some companies that are experimenting with drones for whatever purpose," he said.
