Everything we know about the drones watching over Times Square on New Year’s Eve
If weather permits, the New York City Police Department will fly drones over tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, marking the first time that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used to patrol the skies at the annual event.
At a press briefing on Dec. 27, NYPD counterterrorism chief Martine Materasso outlined the extensive security measures that city police will be taking, bolstered by federal law enforcement partners that include the FBI. An estimated 1 million revelers will be kept safe by bomb-sniffing dogs, radiation-detection teams, heavy-weapons squads, police helicopters, counterterrorism boats, plainclothes cops, and drone detection and interdiction units.
Obviously, drones are a great resource that provides a bird’s-eye view over a large area,†Joe Giacalone, a former NYPD detective sergeant who now teaches at New York City’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Quartz. “When policing large crowds, they can spot areas where trouble might be brewing.â€
The NYPD wanted to bring drones to last year’s Times Square celebration, but its UAVs were grounded by rain.
