The NYPD wants the green light from the feds to take down “dangerous” drones hovering over the Big Apple skies – especially during major events in the city.
The department is banned from shooting down or incapacitating drones and has to rely on federal enforcement agencies to deal with them — even as their use has exploded in recent years, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
“As we’ve seen in Ukraine, in the Middle East and even along our border, the threats posed by weaponized drones are real and growing,” she said during a Fourth of July security briefing Wednesday.. “However, in 2025 the NYPD still does not have authority to take down nefarious drones ourselves.
“We are forced to rely on our federal partners to intercept and mitigate any threats that they pose to our city. Simply put, we need the ability to take down dangerous drones ourselves.”
She urged Congress to pass legislation that would give the NYPD the ability to handle drones on its own turf, though Rebecca Weiner, a top NYPD official focused on combating terrorism, said the White House might soon give some local department’s permission through an executive order.
“White House executive orders dating back to June 6 that have been published hopefully, with federal government participation, give certain state and locals we hope, including NYPD this capability,” said the deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism.
Authorities can take down drones by jamming their signals, using net guns and even shooting them down when all else fails. But as of now local agencies don’t have the authority to take action on the devices.
An executive order from President Trump last month doesn’t approve local departments to mitigate drone threats, but does put together a task force that will review operations and regulatory frameworks to better handle threats from unmanned devices.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Weiner said a slew of agencies, including the FBI, will be on hand for Independence Day festivities and can take down drones.
NYPD officials made clear there are no credible threats against the city Friday as thousands of cops will be on patrol and significant road, bridge and train shutdowns are planned leading up to the annual Macy’s fireworks show.
“We continue to operate in a heightened threat environment due to tensions overseas and across the country, and as has been reported on,” Tisch said, “the NYPD and our federal partners are closely monitoring the threat from Lone Wolf actors who are motivated by world events.”
While the NYPD can’t take down drones, it relies on them for surveillance during major celebrations or protests.
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