20-Sep-2016 Source: USI
The Unmanned Safety Institute, a professional organization dedicated to the safe and responsible integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the U.S. National Airspace System, today announced a joint partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to provide innovative training on the safety and security of UAS to the law enforcement community throughout the State of Florida. The purpose of the educational workshops will be to train law enforcement officers who are FOP members on proper techniques for responding to unauthorized or unlawful UAS flight operations.
The workshop, “Responding to UAS Intrusions” will cover a variety of topics related to the UAS and its components, threats posed by UAS to critical infrastructure, types of UAS users, response protocols and best practices, and federal and state legal enforcement authorities. The first workshop will be held at the FOP Orlando Lodge on November 18, 2016.
In recent years, unlawful drone activity has rattled communities around the world. In 2015, an operator lost control of their drone and crashed onto the White House lawn triggering a large response by law enforcement. In that same year, a drone was used to transport a radioactive substance onto the roof of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office building prompting a large security response and a review of legislation governing the use of drones in Japan.
“With over three million drones projected to be flying in the United States this year, the threat of an incident occurring increases exponentially,” said Aaron Greenwald, President of the Unmanned Safety Institute. “We think it is absolutely vital that all law enforcement officers across the country have a deep understanding of this technology and how to appropriately respond to unauthorized activity in the event an incident occurs.” Shawn Dunlap, President of the FOP Chapter in Orlando, Florida, stated how this training program will provide important education and training on the enforcement of unauthorized UAS activity to his membership.