The Hidden Danger Overhead: Drones and Public Safety

Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the At the Boundary podcast, GNSI’s Senior Director, Jim Cardoso, led a panel discussion on the JSS article, “Detecting Drone Threats at Stadiums and Public Venues: Overview, Operational Considerations, and Technical Implementation.” Joining him were the article’s authors: Nathan Jones, associate professor of security studies in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University; John Sullivan, a retired career police officer and an instructor in the Safe Communities Institute at the University of Southern California; and George Javis Jr., a specialist in geospatial information systems and geospatial intelligence.The discussion focused on the use of drones as a national security threat, both present and future, to public stadiums and other large venues. The authors detailed the range of drone technologies and its expanding development, and how the United States legal system and law enforcement are not currently prepared to regulate drone usage in the way that is necessary for public safety.Current and future concerns about the potential for drones to be used maliciously were also explored. The authors cited the 2021 Astroworld tragedy as a case study to examine how similar situations occur under a drone-based terrorist attack.Main points discussed:Emerging drone threats to public events and large venues.Legal gaps in drone regulation and how law enforcement agencies and security professionals should respond.Current and emerging concerns tied to the evolving capabilities and variety of drone swarm technology and the expanding array of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).Links from the episode:• “Detecting Drone Threats at Stadiums and Public Venues: Overview, Operational Considerations, and Technical Implementation” JSS article• “Urban Operations: War, Crime and Conflict” byJohn P. Sullivan, Nathan P. Jones, and Daniel Weisz Argomedo• Register for the Florida Security Forum: Port and Maritime SecurityGNSI on X GNSI on LinkedinGNSI on YouTubeAt the Boundary  from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida,  features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.