A new drone policy could be coming to the Michigan state Capitol building.
At a meeting of the Michigan State Capitol Commission Monday, executive director Robert Blackshaw discussed a three-stage plan for handling drones flying in the area.
The first phase involves new software to monitor drone activity. Blackshaw said that will launch in the coming months.
“It’ll illustrate the drone and even show us where the pilot of the drone is located due to the updated technologies. This is very useful as we can compare this data with any registered flight plans from the FAA to see if they are in compliance,” Blackshaw said.
Phase two is a mitigation step that Blackshaw said would mainly involve explaining drone policies to pilots. The third involves enforcing the policies.
Blackshaw said the other steps will come later.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers are also working on bills to regulate the use of drones across Michigan.
Drones are usually federally regulated. But bill sponsors say Michigan can still apply trespassing laws to drones flying around areas like power plants and stadiums.
State Representative Will Bruck (R-Erie) said current federal policies don’t let local law enforcement or security get rid of nuisance drones on their own. Bruck said that creates safety risks
“If it was nefarious, by the time they contact the FBI or for someone to take care of a nefarious drone, it’s way too late by that point. And same with all our critical infrastructure. So that’s really what it boils down to, is protecting critical infrastructure and the privacy of our citizens as well,” Brucks said in an interview previewing the legislation.
Bruck said he and a bipartisan group of co-sponsors plan to introduce the bill package later this week.
Beyond letting local law enforcement take down drones flying where they shouldn’t be, the bills would also set new rules for agencies and departments buying new equipment.
The legislation would eventually keep departments and agencies from using drones made by companies on a federal government watch list.Bruck argues that equipment could possibly store and send data abroad.
He said the bills would, at first, let departments use a software patch to make the drones more secure.
“Give them a time where then, normal budgeting cycles will allow those police departments and the (Department of Natural Resources) and others that use these drones to replace them on a normal cycle basis. Then it’s not asking them to throw away their whole fleet of drones and buy a new one,” he said.
