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Drones have rapidly become one of the most transformative tools in public safety, giving agencies faster situational awareness, better documentation capabilities and new ways to respond to incidents. But as adoption grows, so does the complexity of managing the airspace above our communities. The same tools that support law enforcement can also be used for surveillance, disruption or worse. That shift is forcing agencies to rethink how they monitor, interpret and act on drone activity in real time.
In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Melissa Swisher of SkySafe about what it takes to move from simply using drones to truly understanding the airspace. Swisher outlines how drone detection and airspace intelligence platforms help agencies identify authorized versus unauthorized activity, locate operators and integrate aerial data into the broader operational picture. The conversation also explores the growing challenge of securing large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup, where agencies must manage a mix of friendly, commercial and potentially hostile drones without disrupting operations or public confidence.
Key takeaways from this episode
Airspace is now part of the operational environment. Law enforcement has long built visibility on the ground through cameras, patrol and dispatch. Now agencies must extend that awareness upward, taking responsibility not just for their own drones but for any unmanned aircraft operating in their jurisdiction.
Detection is only the starting point. Identifying a drone is not enough. Agencies must be able to differentiate between authorized, benign and potentially malicious activity in real time, especially during large-scale events with multiple legitimate drone operations.
Understanding behavior is more important than chasing drones. Modern drone response focuses less on intercepting the aircraft and more on analyzing patterns, intent and operator behavior. This shift allows for more informed and proportionate decision-making.
Locating the operator is critical. Effective systems provide the location of both the drone and its operator, enabling officers to respond directly. In many cases, incidents involve unintentional violations, making education and intervention just as important as enforcement.
Baseline awareness enables faster threat recognition. Building a historical and real-time picture of normal drone activity allows agencies to quickly identify anomalies. This mirrors crime analysis principles and is key to detecting potential threats before they escalate.
About our sponsor
SkySafe’s cloud-based drone detection and airspace intelligence platform gives law enforcement real-time visibility into what’s happening in their airspace. The platform turns complex drone data like launch point, flight path, altitude, payload capacity, and operator location into actionable intelligence officers can use to detect, analyze and act on drone activity in real-time. With advanced analytics and industry-leading drone forensics, SkySafe also enables agencies to turn drone data into prosecutable evidence. For more information, visit skysafe.io.
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