(NewsNation) — Repeated drone sightings over a Long Island airport have prompted local law enforcement officials to turn to technology to determine who may be behind the mysterious objects.
Officials have reported an unusually high number of drone sightings near Francis Gabreski Airport in Suffolk County in recent weeks. The sightings have taken place in highly sensitive areas, including over runways and in restricted air space. That has prompted investigators to turn to Dedrone, a highly sophisticated detection system that uses radar, cameras and artificial intelligence to pinpoint drones in real time.
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The airport is also home to the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard, which has increased concerns over the sightings. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to make drones a priority, saying he would issue a report on the objects soon after taking office.
Christopher Brockmeyer, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy chief, said officials will use the drone detection technology to get to the bottom of the sightings around the airport property.
“We’re going to use that information to potentially go and knock on doors and locate the actual operator and have a conversation as to what they’re doing,” Brockmeyer said.
Officials from the airport and the Air National Guard told NewsNation some of the drone sightings involved objects as large as cars. On Christmas Day, officials reported 17 different sightings at the airport.
