Chuck Schumer wants answers after another weekend of drone chaos

Sen. Chuck Schumer during a December 15th press conference. | Screenshot: NBC News

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide New York and New Jersey authorities with an advanced drone detection system to help “determine what the heck is going on” with continued sightings in the Northeast.

“We’ve seen lots of recent sightings in New York, New Jersey, Long Island, Staten Island.” Schumer said during a December 15th press conference. “With all these sightings over the last while, why do we have more questions than answers?”

Over the weekend, parts of Stewart International Airport were temporarily shut down due to the drone sightings, prompting New York Governor Kathy Hochul to say, “this has gone too far.” Drone activity also shut down airspace over the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for over four hours.

President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that he’s canceling a trip to Bedminster, New Jersey due to drone sightings in the area. He said, “the government knows what is happening” and “they’d be better off saying what it is.”

During a press conference on Sunday, Schumer requested a “360-degree” detection system like the one built by Robin Radar Systems. The European company sells micro-doppler radars that it claims can distinguish between birds and drones moving up to 60 miles per hour in 3D space. Its website features case studies of its radars being used for security at airports, during the G7 Summit, and to study bird migration in the Netherlands.

Schumer also urged Congress to pass the “Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act,” which could give local law enforcement and federal authorities the power to detect drones.