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4w ago

NYPD Buys $6.5M in Drone Mitigation Gear and Trains With Feds to Protect World Cup and July Events

DOJ rules implementing the Safer Skies Act give the department a federal pathway to neutralize credible drone threats under training and oversight.

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US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, NYPD Commissoner Jessica Tisch, and FBI NY Field (L-R at podium)Officer James Barnacle at a press conference discussing security for upcoming World Cup/Sail 2026 events.
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Overview

  • The NYPD announced Thursday that it has purchased $6.5 million in drone‑mitigation equipment and completed joint training with the FBI to prepare for the FIFA World Cup and America 250 events.
  • Under the Safer Skies Act pathway, now being made operational by forthcoming DOJ guidance, qualified local agencies like the NYPD can receive federal authority to disable dangerous drones after federal training and certification.
  • Federal partners including the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the SDNY and the FAA will coordinate operations, set temporary no‑drone zones and pursue criminal charges that can include fines up to $100,000, imprisonment and seizure of drones.
  • Officials say the move responds to the battlefield spread of weaponized drones in places such as Ukraine and the Middle East and follows recent local counterterrorism actions, including the foiled plot targeting a Manhattan synagogue.
  • Local technical limits remain: many detection systems rely on drone Remote ID signals and can miss non‑broadcasting “dark” drones, so federal radar and oversight will be needed for the most sophisticated threats.