For the first time ever, New York Police will have an unmanned eye in the sky to keep an watchful eye on the Times Square New Years Eve bash. And DJI’s Aersocope system might be surveilling the air-space to prevent unwanted drone intrusions.
AP is reporting that the NYPD drone is the latest addition to a beefed up security presence that includes over 7,000 police officers and bomb sniffing dogs. Intersections will be occupied by the usual sand filled dump trucks and sanitation vehicles, while undercover police will have a presence in area hotels to ward off a repeat of the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
While not specifically identified by brand or type, the NYPD drone will be operated in an off-limits area of Times Square while tethered to a building as a safety precaution.
New York Police will also be deploying special technology, possibly DJI’s Aerscope Platform, to montor the skies over Times Square for illegal drone operations.
The DJI Aerscope System is a comprehensive drone detection platform that rapidly identifies UAV communication links, gathering information such as flight status, paths, and other information in real-time. This monitoring data stream helps authorities make an informed response as soon as possible.
NYPD are most likely using a portable DJI Aeroscope with an effect radius of 5km, capable of collecting rogue drone data in as little as 2 seconds, allowing for prompt response. Aerscope can identify the exact location of a drone operator using data transmitted by their remote controller, allowing for a near exact operation to subdue an offender.
DJI Aerscope received national attention earlier this year when it was deployed at the Santa Fe Balloon to ward off drones from becoming a safety hazard to the 500+ hot air balloons participating in the festival.
Organizers revealed afterwards that the DJI system successfully identified over 450 unauthorized drone flights within the no-fly-zone established for the festival.
