Gottheimer calls on FBI, DHS, FAA for an immediate public briefing on drone activity

NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Tuesday announced new action to prevent misuses of drones, support our local law enforcement, inform the public, and make sure our counties, our state, and our country remain safe should a threat arise.

“We can never play it too safe when fighting to protect Jersey families, especially from new technologies that have great potential but also can pose certain risks. That’s why I’m focused on making sure that random, unidentified drone activity isn’t something that our communities have to deal with going forward,” Gottheimer said. “We must ensure New Jersey does not become the Wild West for drone activity.”

Gottheimer’s New Action Includes: 

• First, Gottheimer has sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and FAA urging them to immediately provide more information on these current drone sightings to the public.
  • This includes providing an update to the public on what the agency and department are currently doing in response to the increasing sightings of drones in Jersey airspace.
  • This will be crucial in reassuring public safety, and ensuring that our efforts to safeguard our national security keep up with advancing technology and any terrorists who may be looking to do us harm.
• Second, Gottheimer is introducing new legislation to expand federal grants for our local law enforcement through the COPS Technology Grant and Equipment Program, to help make radar systems more available to state and local police.
  • This technology will equip our law enforcement with the resources they need to identify how many drones there are, where they’re coming from, and where they’re going.
• Third, Gottheimer helped lead the introduction of the bipartisan Drone Act.
  • This bill prohibits the most dangerous uses of drones in the United States, by outlawing things like attaching a weapon to a drone and establishing a two-year prison sentence for anyone who uses a drone to interfere with emergency-response activity, law-enforcement activity, or military operations.
  • Gottheimer also cosponsored the Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation that the Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed, strengthens the authority of federal, state and local law enforcement to respond to security threats posed by drones — keeping our families, communities, and nation safe.