What’s Up With All These New Jersey Drones?
It’s an attack from the killer drones! Ok, not really. But the ongoing wave of New Jersey drone sightings has left residents nervously buzzing about the lack of an official government response. Where are the drones coming from? What are local authorities doing to crack down on these illicit aerial maneuverings? Although authorities later reclassified several drone sightings as a case of mistaken identity (apparently, some New Jersians don’t know the difference between a Boeing 747 or a hobbyist drone), no official word has come as to where the mysterious drones are originating. No area is immune from the pervasive drones. The aerial absconders have even infiltrated sensitive government areas such as President-elect Trump’s golf course. While authorities have assured the public there’s nothing nefarious about the increased drone traffic, they haven’t ruled out potential mischief.
“We assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters, and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones,” White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said. “I can’t rule out the fact that we might find some sort of illegal or criminal activity, some nefarious activity, (but) all I can do is tell you that right now we see none of that.” source: CNN.
Are Drones Dangerous to the Public?
Although recreational drones are relatively benign to the ground-dwelling populace, they pose security and privacy risks. Drones can be dangerous if they crash or fly too close to densely populated communities. Drones can also elicit trigger-happy responses from gun owners fed up with the constant buzzing above their backyards. Persistent property flyovers could also lead to harried interactions between neighbors looking to permanently ground unsanctioned flights by personally visiting the operators down the street. Drones can also interfere with other aerial traffic, increasing the collision risk, which could have further fallout on unsuspecting communities. While most drone operators use the unmanned craft for vicarious exploration, some bad actors might use the devices for aerial reconnaissance or surveillance harvesting while canvassing for property vulnerabilities when planning potential break-ins.
New Jersey Drones Part of Growing Trend
Drones are no longer a novelty. More than 25 percent of American men own a small recreational drone. Moreover, nearly 20 percent of Americans have flown or operated drones. FAA officials also said that recreational drone usage will peak at 1.5 million, with commercial drone usage expected to double in the coming years. Many homeowners are revisiting their privacy and security needs with so many drones forecasted to proliferate the nighttime skies. It’s too early to tell if the increased drone traffic will impact crime rates and residential break-ins.
Anticipating All Threats From Above and Beyond Scope of Influence
Besides urging elected officials to pass sensible drone limitations, the average citizen is left without recourse other than taking to the skies for a Battle Royale dogfight (which he staunchly opposes). Although the outsized drone response, or lack thereof, can be infuriating, the emotive elicitations are more likely rooted in some deep-seated insecurity. No, we are not questioning anyone’s manhood, but our super fast digital world is now merging with the sci-fi-esque hardware. The constant and unwanted interactions with society’s more annoying members are almost unavoidable. Now might be the time to revisit home security and personal privacy concerns. If nothing else, taking stock of your home’s perimeter might assuage your drone fears before it launches into a full-fledged obsession.
Our panelized steel safe room can beef up home security and privacy needs. Creative, prospective, safe room owners can easily retrofit a home office or spare bedroom into perennial, panelized steel protection without disturbing interior walls. While drones can breach the air above your home and backyard, they don’t have X-Ray vision, not yet anyways. Drones can only see your home’s inner workings if you leave a window open, but we seriously doubt the novice operator is dexterous enough to navigate such a narrow egress. Panelized safe rooms offer continuous protection for stressed-out families while protecting sensitive documents and stockpiles from the sky’s prying eyes. Although drone protection might sound farcical, consider technology’s bent. Most mediations for privacy and security concerns have invariably come long after the arrival of new technologies, such as the case of data harvesting and electric cars. Stay ahead of technology’s unintended uses. Invest in steel protection today.