Page 14 - Security Today, May 2017

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from four to six grams , all the way upwards of to 200 pounds, and can stay in the air for over an hour—enough to fly multiple miles. A crash could be catastrophic.”
So, what can security teams at these fa- cilities do to create a safer, more protected airspace? Lamprech would tell you the best way is to invest in detection software that allows stadiums and arenas to ex- pertly detect and track a drone that comes near or into the airspace of the facility.
“Dedrone works with arenas/stadi- ums by setting up the DroneTracker soft- ware platform, which provides airspace monitoring and displays on a conve- nient browser interface,” Lamprech said. “DroneTracker allows users to readily configure multiple sensors, including cam- eras and radio frequency/Wi-Fi, and de- ploy active and passive countermeasures for automatic, 24/7 operation. The soft- ware continuously displays real time air- space information, and detects and iden- tifies drones using Dedrone’s DroneDNA advanced analysis and pattern recognition capabilities.”
Dedrone’s DroneTracker combined with DroneDNA are able to sort through other objects that may be in the air above a sta- dium or arena, such as a bird, kite or blimp.
“Drones have a unique communica- tion signal which can be detected through Wi-Fi and radio frequency,” Lamprech said. “Dedrone’s software platform listens in to these signals, along with using cam- eras, to identify whether the aerial threat is a drone or other aircraft. DroneTracker can currently detect over 400 drones, and this number is increasing every day. As we are a software platform, we’ve created a future-proof solution that automatically updates along with our advancements.”
Once a potentially malicious drone is de- tected, there are a few steps security teams can take to protect from the UAS, but they have to be careful not to obstruct the drone as these unmanned devices are actually protected through the FAA, just like any other aircraft. It is illegal to in the United States to interfere with a drone while it is in the air, so security operations at stadiums and arenas have to find a way around these policies to protect the facilities.
“You cannot just shoot it down or jam the signal of a drone, and furthermore, you don’t want to distract the pilot if they are looking to redirect the drone, and po-
tentially cause them to crash,” Lemprech said. “DroneTracker has a sensor which allows for an accurate reading of the di- rection of the drone, so in the case a tail- gater is playing with a drone, a security guard can personally approach the pilot.”
While security guards make their way to the drone’s pilot, the priority is to keep spec- tators out from under the path of the drone.
“Another measure we advise is to move patrons of a show away from a hov- ering drone,” Lemprech said. “If there is a retractable roof, the detection of a drone can automatically deploy its closure. Secu- rity can also deploy a strobe light or light signal in the camera of a drone, to alert the pilot that it is a no-fly zone and prevent them from capturing footage.”
One of the most widely used terms that is associated with drone protection is “no fly zone” but Lamprech says there is actu- ally no such thing as a fence or gate that au- tomatically redirects a UAS through signal.
“‘No fly zones’ are a suggestion, not an actual deployment, as we still see drones coming through federally protected air- space at airports, and distracting opera- tions,” Lamprech said. “Reports of pos- sible drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continue to increase, with the FAA noting there were 1,274 such reports from February through September last year, compared with 874 for the same pe- riod in 2015.1”
As the sightings continue to increase, so does the threat level. Lamprech says the wide availability of the machines coupled with advances in technology will only cre- ate more of a need for detection software at facilities were mass numbers of people congregate.
“This risk is becoming more and more apparent to stadiums and arenas, espe- cially as drones become accessible to any user, and there are limited laws barring op- eration,” Lamprech said. “Arenas and sta- diums will need to consider what sort of protection they want to provide their spec- tators and performers from aerial threats as a part of their overall security program ecosystem.”
Sydny Shepard is content editor for Secu- rity Today.
1. Federal Aviation Administration Releases Updated Drone Sightings Report https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=87565
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