“WASHINGTON - Drones will be prohibited from flying over federal prisons and Coast Guard guard facilities under flight restrictions the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday.”
“The FAA flight restrictions take effect July 7 over 19 prisons and 10 Coast Guard facilities. Those locations join military bases, 10 Department of the Interior facilities and seven Department if Energy facilities where FAA earlier banned drone flights”
“”This is the first time the agency has placed specific flight restrictions for unmanned aircraft, or drones, over Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Coast Guard facilities,” the FAA said in a statement. “Operators who violate the flight restrictions may be subject to enforcement action, including potential civil penalties and criminal charges.””
“Drone incidents at prisons included a July 2017 escape from a South Carolina prison, where the inmate chopped his way through a fence using wire cutters that prison officials suspect were dropped by a drone. The inmate was captured 1,200 miles away in Texas.”
“In September 2017, Arizona prison officials said a drone carrying drugs and cellphones to inmates crashed in part of the prison yard accessible only to corrections officers.”
“In July 2015, a fight broke out at an Ohio prison when a drone dropped tobacco, marijuana and heroin to an inmate, authorities said.”
“The prison locations where FAA adopted drone restrictions are federal penitentiaries near Tucson, Arizona; Victorville, California; two near Florence, Colorado; two near Sumterville Florida; Marion and Clinton, Illinois; Terre Haute, Indiana; Inez and Pine Knot, Kentucky; Pollock, Louisiana; Yazoo City, Mississippi; Allentown, Lewisburg and Waymart, Pennsylvania; Beaumont, Texas; Pennington Gap, Virginia and Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.”
“The Coast Guard facilities are Baltimore yard in Maryland, the operations center near Martinsburg, West Virginia and bases in Boston; Alameda and Los Angeles, California; Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Kodiak, Alaska; Miami; Portsmouth, Virginia and Seattle.”
Quotes from FAA and journalist who wrote this article - Bart Jansen, USA TODAY. Published 9:06 a.m. ET June 26,2017.
This article called my attention because of the many times I have read people debating the FAA’s “abilities” and such. Heads up folks.
May the force be with you!
