NYPD Deploying Drone for First Time to Secure New Year's Party

[Megalith]

This week’s New Year’s Eve celebration and ball drop in Times Square will be just as noisy, cramped, and packed with security like all others, but the NYPD is introducing new toys to boost the latter, which includes a camera-equipped drone to supplement traditional surveillance tools. The FBI will also be present with new “counter-drone technology” that can block other devices from the area.

In a first, the department will also be deploying its own drone to add another camera to the sky, augmenting the NYPD's helicopter fleet. The drone will be tethered to the ground and will have an area cordoned off below it to protect revelers in the event of a malfunction. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force will also be on hand with counter-drone technology, authorities said. The extraordinary security measures include welding shut manhole covers and embedding officers inside area hotels.

 

[Poseur]

A poster for a police state or just "keeping the peace" at a party? Announcing their capabilities to the press beforehand seems like a bad idea too.

 

[griffinhart]

I read that the drone is going to be tethered to a building to prevent accidents if it falls out of the sky.... How does that make it any better than a few remote cameras on roof tops?

 

[steakman1971]

I was at the AWS conference in Vegas last year. They had a party that was partially outdoors (keeping in mine, the same year some dude shot a lot of people at Mandalay Bay). They had police drones flying over that event according to an officer I talked to.
It was kind of spooky being surrounded by a lot of parking garages with the memory of the shooter at Mandalay Bay.

 

[Dead Parrot]

From TFA - there will be thousands of cops there including hundreds of freshly sworn in rookie cops. Hundreds of armed rookie cops in a crowded, noisy, alcohol fueled party? What could possibly go wrong?

And the tethered NYPD drone flying while the FBI plays with new anti drone tech? Hope the inter-agency communications are good.

 

[WBurchnall]

A poster for a police state or just "keeping the peace" at a party? Announcing their capabilities to the press beforehand seems like a bad idea too.

It doesn't seem crazy to annouce anti drone technology without being specific as it alerts an individual who might not hand realized they are not permitted from bringing one without revealing much.

Long time hobbyists should know its not permitted but if someone just got their first one for Christmas, they might have thought its a great place to test it out and get cool footage.

This announcement might preemptively stop some drones.

 

[WBurchnall]

And the tethered NYPD drone flying while the FBI plays with new anti drone tech? Hope the inter-agency communications are good.

This but also how will the FBI distinguish those drones operators with legal permits like ones working for NBC or CBS VS non permitted operators?