Suspicious drone activity reported in North Texas near military sites, authorities say
WHITE SETTLEMENT – White Settlement police, along with federal authorities, have initiated an investigation into suspicious drone activity Tuesday night.
Police started responding to multiple reports of drones flying near city neighborhoods and federal and military properties at 8:14 p.m., according to a news release.
After observing drones near Bomber Road, Silver Creek and North Las Vegas Trail, officers coordinated with security personnel from military and federal properties to locate the pilot.
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, a manufacturing facility for defense contractor Lockheed Martin and a Texas Army National Guard recruitment center are all located in the area.
At 8:54 p.m. and again at 10:21 p.m., police responded to additional reports of multiple drones in the area.
"We're a military community. We will have unauthorized drones sometimes. Typically, though, it's usually somebody that's just unaware of the rules and then we educate them. Last night, though, very different," said White Settlement Police Chief Chris Cook.
While police said they do not believe there were any immediate threats related to the drone activity, they have filed reports and are taking precautionary measures.
"Our officers were trying to intercept, you know, who's controlling them," said Cook. "So, they were hoping they were going to go and land somewhere. Unfortunately, though, they lost sight of them."
Local police are working with the FBI, NCIS and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to address the situation, including determining the flight paths and identifying the pilot of the unmanned aircraft.
The City of White Settlement has issued a reminder that it and nearby areas around federal and military properties are designated "No Fly Zones" due to their status as military operation areas in the national airspace.
"If a drone was to get in one of their engines, it could cause a complete catastrophic failure of the aircraft," Cook said. "We are always concerned with improper photography, improper videography of sensitive areas. We just don't know who did this. What was their intent? Is it a game? What's going on?"
Drone sightings on the East Coast
The apparent drone activity in White Settlement comes after numerous reports of mysterious flying objects in New York, New Jersey and other parts of the East Coast earlier this month.
Despite uneasy residents and a litany of theories spreading across social media, federal authorities said this week that the sightings do not threaten national security or public safety.
On Monday, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and Defense Department released a joint statement saying in part: "Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, 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 aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones."
