The New York Police Department (NYPD) wants the power to counter drones that fly illegally over New York City.
At least 75,000 drones flew over the city so far in 2025, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. While the NYPD can track and report on illegal drone flights, it cannot access technology to counteract drones, which currently only a few federal agencies possess.
Tisch said in a Sunday opinion article that responding to drone threats is a “local issue,” not a federal one, and the NYPD needs the technology in order to keep New Yorkers safe.
“We can watch, but we can’t act,” Tisch wrote. “And if any of those drones had been weaponized and under the control of a nefarious actor, the results could have been devastating.”
“Just as the NYPD doesn’t rely on the federal government to staff and secure major events on the ground, we shouldn’t have to rely on them in the sky,” Tisch added.
The technology the city is interested in purchasing involves a drone that can be launched to intercept an enemy drone, entangle it in mesh and deploy a parachute to bring it to the ground safely. Each of these drones, produced by American Robotics, would cost around $200,000.
The NYPD is lobbying Congress for legislation that would grant access to anti-drone technology, though officials also hope for an executive order from President Donald Trump.
Trump previously issued an executive order on June 6 calling for a federal task force to review responses to drone threats and recommend policy changes, but the order did not explicitly grant local police the authority to take down drones.
Federal lawmakers are also currently considering a bill that would allow local police to use anti-drone technology to protect certain high-profile and crowded events.
Tisch cited evidence of drug cartels and terrorist groups using commercially purchased drones for attacks, particularly on crowded venues and law enforcement, to justify the NYPD’s need.
“Rapidly-evolving drone technology is running circles around today’s regulatory architecture, making virtually every large, crowded event, infrastructure asset, or symbolic landmark a vulnerable target,” Tisch wrote. “We must stay ahead of these fast-moving dangers with our own cutting-edge technology and authority.”
But privacy advocates criticized the effort as a waste of time and money that would jeopardize New Yorkers’ rights. Will Owen, communications director for the technology privacy nonprofit Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said in a statement that the anti-drone technology is cartoonish.
“New Yorkers deserve real safety, not cartoon cop drones straight out of Looney Tunes,” Owen said. “Wasting public dollars to invade our privacy is a dangerous police stunt, putting our rights to free speech and protest at risk.”
