NYPD Fears Drones Used for Terrorist Attacks

In the past year, New York City's Police Department has taken a harder look at the possibility of drones being used for terrorism, CBS News reports.

While no imminent threat has been logged, police are studying ways they might stop such a threat by air, noting the growing fascination with drones and their potential for such an attack, CBS said.

"We look at it as something that could be a terrorist’s tool," NYPD Deputy Police Chief Salvatore DiPace told CBS, noting the potential for drones to carry chemical weapons or firearms.

"We’ve seen some video where the drone was flying at different targets along the route and very accurately hitting the targets with the paintball," DiPace told CBS.

He cited an episode that occurred in Germany in 2013, which stunned many around the world. Chancellor Angela Merkel was speaking publicly when a drone landed right in front of her.

While the perpetrator, a member of the Pirate Party carrying out a prank, was arrested, the incident was a stark warning of how easily a drone might be used for harm.

The military as well as U.S. police have been using their own drones to effectively investigate and catch criminals, USA Today noted.

Some, however, fear police will abuse a drone's covert power. In California, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill in September that would have limited police power to use drones, forcing law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before a drone could be used to assist an investigation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In New York, more than 40 drone incidents were reported last year, police told CBS, noting their fears that the flying objects could hinder their own work. In one incident, a police helicopter nearly collided with a drone.

"Drones are out there flying around. People think that they're a toy or a model; they're not," Jimmy Coan, a deputy inspector and the commanding officer for the NYPD's aviation unit, told CBS. "They're another aircraft flying in the national airspace system, and they create a significant safety hazard."

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