Thinking about sending your drone over Sail Boston this year? City officials say that is a quick way to lose it. Boston authorities are telling drone owners to keep their gear at home during the tall-ship festival, warning that unauthorized flights over the waterfront can lead to seized drones, hefty fines and even criminal charges. With big crowds expected along the harbor for several days, federal, state and local teams will be watching the skies with detection equipment and rapid-response units. The simple advice from officials: bring a camera, not a quadcopter.
State and local agencies have tapped federal counter-UAS grant money to buy detection and mitigation systems and train officers specifically for this kind of event, rather than stocking up on consumer drones. FEMA’s counter-UAS funding, combined with the SAFER SKIES Act framework, helped Massachusetts ramp up equipment and training ahead of major summer gatherings. As reported by DroneXL, the state and several municipalities landed multi-million-dollar awards to build out detection networks and stand up response teams.
Massachusetts State Police Capt. Robert Duprey told reporters that plenty of drone violations appear to be honest mistakes and that educating hobbyists remains a big part of the job, as reported by WCVB. Even so, Duprey said officers will move in when drones cross into restricted airspace around the waterfront, and organizers have made it clear that public safety comes first. The warning tracks with federal messaging that a drone over a crowd is not just illegal, it can also be dangerous…