NYPD Deputy Chief Salvatore DiPace spoke with CBS this morning about the potential of a terrorist attack using increasingly available commercial drones. Chief DiPace says that an attack with a chemical weapon or a remote controlled gun are of particular concern.
According to CBS, the wake up call to law enforcement around the world was a video of a drone hovering over a crowd that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was speaking to. The drone takes its time approaching the Chancellor before landing on stage, right in front of her. Merkel smiled, but authorities were deeply disturbed.
DiPace says that for now, the NYPD’s strategy is to develop technology that allows them to take control of a drone if they need to, and with 40 incidents involving drones this year, he sees it as an urgent need.
In July, NYPD helicopter pilots reported being buzzed by a drone leading to an arrest, but the circumstances surrounding the alleged flyby are not clear.
Click the video above for some really cool drone footage, including drones with machine guns and a drone crashing into a building in Times Square. (Photo: Nicolas Haftermeyer/Wikimedia Commons)
