On November 14, Jen Daskal was interviewed by Forbes on rising drone risks at U.S. events. The following is an excerpt:
A Threat Vector Years in ihe Making
Commercial off-the-shelf drones hit the market in 2010, and with each passing year, capabilities have increased, prices have come down, and yet, legislation has played catch-up. At the same time, insufficient attention has been given to providing law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools to counter unauthorized drones.
"There is an ongoing need for expanded authorities to give trained state and local officials the ability to engage in the kind of active detection and mitigation measures that would protect fans at a broader array of sporting events," said Jennifer Daskal, a cybersecurity and national security attorney at Venable LLP.
In an email, she explained that pending legislation in the House would create a special program for state and local law enforcement agencies responsible for securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics to deploy and operate approved counter-UAS mitigation systems.
"This would be an important expansion of authorities," said Daskal, who acknowledged that detection is still key to ensuring the safety of attendees at large-scale events. "We need to do more to understand the airspace and to identify and respond to anomalies as a result. Enforcement is also important – particularly with respect to risks posed by negligent or careless drone use. These are actors that can be deterred."
There is a need for engagement across the multiple locations where events are being held to ensure all relevant players are aware of and prepared to respond to the full array of security threats.
"We highly encourage exercises that bring together state, local, and federal officials with stadium owners and operators to work through crisis management planning – and can help with those," Daskal continued.
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