NEW LONDON, CT (WFSB) – State police are using special technology to track drones in our state, and we were able to get a closer look at it Tuesday.
In the northeast, there have been thousands of sightings and tons of tips on the loud devices.
At the Coast Guard Station, they use a machine called a fixed drone detection system. It can track drones within a five-mile radius and store data on them, such as height and it’s flight path.
“We also can track height, speed, flight path, so we know exactly where they flew and how fast they flew, how high they flew,” said Sergeant Kevin Pelkey of the Connecticut State Police Drone Detection Division.
Its goal is to protect places such as the Coast Guard Academy, Electric Boat, and the sub base across the river from any drone that’s suspicious or shouldn’t be there by alerting state police.
This data can be tracked by investigators remotely across Connecticut. State police are also utilizing smaller and more mobile trackers for these devices to collect data on any drone in the sky.
They’ve been getting a lot of use lately, with many people reporting drones they think don’t belong.
“I can’t speculate on any sightings that have been unconfirmed and I wouldn’t want to create any of that hysteria. Looking at videos I’ve seen on the news or that have been passed on to us, a lot of these have been matched up to manned aircraft flights or things that are naturally going to be in the sky,” said Pelkey.
UAS is an unmanned aircraft system. A lot of people say they’ve seen suspicious ones recently.
But, Pelkey says that most end up checking out, being mistaken for planes and even stars because they’re harder to make out at night.
“We haven’t confirmed any sightings that have been unexplained so to speak,” he said.
At Herman’s in Colchester, Owner Khristina Goulet says these drones are the talk of the diner.
“I think a lot of people are concerned with the invasion of privacy but what are you going to do, we can’t control everything,” she said.
State police have had the drone detection unit for around a year. It is typically used at big events to keep people safe.
They emphasize reporting any drones that seems suspicious.
Copyright 2024 WFSB. All rights reserved.