Cape May County Taking Proactive Approach to Drone Concerns

STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR DESIDERIO:
Cape May County Taking Proactive Approach to Drone Concerns

Cape May Court House, NJ - Cape May County Board of County Commissioners Director Len Desiderio met today with County Office of Emergency Management Director Christopher Leusner to determine a course of action for the County of Cape May related to the recent sighting of military-grade unmanned aerial vehicle drones over portions of New Jersey.

"The OEM Director and I discussed the drone issues at length and have engaged experts with vast experience in the field," Desiderio said. "We have also been interfacing with state and federal law enforcement agencies who are actively investigating the continuous sightings of these UAVs in other parts of the state in recent days. It is a bit disconcerting that it appears that the origins and landing locations of these drones have not yet been identified. It is somewhat reassuring that the drones have apparently not engaged in any hostile actions in other parts of the state, but we want to be prepared in Cape May County to be able to advise the public and perhaps bring in assets to
track these UAVs in order to ensure public safety should they begin to appear in large numbers over our part of the state."

The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management is under the oversight of the Director of the Board of Commissioners and is part of the statewide Emergency Management system. Day to-day, OEM advises the Board of Commissioners on a broad range of public safety issues and interfaces with local, state and federal law enforcement and other public safety agencies. In the event of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor, OEM is part of the State of New Jersey's overall emergency management response.

"We are asking the public to stay engaged on these issues, but to do so calmly and not attempt to interfere with or bring down a drone if one is spotted," Leusner said. "Our local, state and federal partners are working diligently to find answers to the questions surrounding these UAV sightings. We are collecting as much data as we possibly can and consulting with experts about how best to evaluate any drone sightings in Cape May County from a public safety standpoint. Our focus is to be prepared to provide as much information as possible to folks on the ground if these drones begin to appear over Cape May County in large numbers, and to work together with those agencies having authority over the skies above Cape May County to ensure public safety moving forward." Theories on the origins of the drones have taken many forms in recent days, with some credible information apparently pointing to the possibility of an ocean-based launching and landing site.

"We are also working with our state legislators and our Congressman who are actively leading on these issues," Desiderio said. "I am also a bit concerned about any negative impacts on our fishing industry if these UAVs are operating from a ship or ships off the coast. It is imperative that we get to the bottom of this and that the appropriate agencies get control of the skies over New Jersey as quickly as possible."

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