WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Note: The video is from Dec. 13.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings resulting in more than 100 leads, and the federal government is supporting state and local officials in investigating the reports, authorities said in a joint statement issued Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI, authorities said there are more than one million drones lawfully registered with the FAA in the United States and thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones lawfully flying every day, with that number expected to increase over time as the technology continues to evolve.
Regarding the news of numerous drone sightings over much of the East Coast, the government agencies said they are "working to prioritize and follow" the leads they've received and have sent advanced detection technology and trained visual observers to the region, but so far, they assess that the sightings reported to date "include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones."
"We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast," the agencies said.
That said, the agencies said they recognize the concern among many communities.
"We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement," the agencies said. "We urge Congress to enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.
"Additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, including within restricted air space. Such sightings near or over DoD installations are not new. DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate. Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place."