Industry Vertical
Securing the “New” Higher Ground
- By Sydny Shepard
- May 01, 2017
There are many things to be aware of if you are a security
team in charge of maintaining public safety
during an event at an arena or stadium. You have
to worry about threats on the ground—abandoned
bags, forbidden items, perimeter security—as well
as threats in the air, including drones.
Drones have become widely popular within the last few years
as technology becomes more innovative, allowing for high quality
images from a small flying device. Reports from the FAA show
that these unmanned aircrafts are only getting more popular.
The FAA estimates small, hobbyist Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS) purchases will grow from 1.9 million in 2016 to as many
as 4.3 million by 2020. The report also estimates sales of UAS for
commercial purposes will grow from 600,000 in 2016 to 2.7 million
by 2020. Combined, we will see an expected rise to 7 million
purchased UAS in 2020.
“People are always looking for a new way to tell a story or
view the world,” Dedrone CEO Joerg Lamprecht said. “Cameras
on drones are giving people a bird-eye view of an area—
something that can’t be accomplished with any other hardware.
Drones allow camera operators to reach new vantage points, and
show a new way to view a game or performance. We’re seeing the
same thing come up with virtual reality in sports, and saw this in
the past with the integration of high-definition filming. Drones
with cameras are a new way to showcase the details of a performance;
however, unlike HD and VR, drones overhead watching a
game or performance pose significant safety and security risks.”
While these unmanned aircrafts are mostly used professionally
and recreationally to add depth and intrigue to films and
videos, security teams need to be aware of the threats they could
pose on those below. A UAS could crash into or drop unidentified
chemicals on players, performers or spectators, or capture
unauthorized footage of a performance, game or practice.
We’ve seen these threats play out first hand at major events
around the country. For example, at the U.S. Open in September
of last year, a drone crashed into the seating area during a tennis
match between Flavia Pennetta and Monica Niculescu. The
match was paused briefly to allow for the drone to be confiscated.
Thankfully no one was hurt.
For Lamprecht, the results of a malicious UAS could be much
worse than what happened at the U.S. Open.
“Commercial drones are capable of being transformed into
powerful weapons, and can be bought anywhere without a license,”
Lamprecht said. “Pilots may have unknowingly flown in to
protected airspace by accident, a drone may have been hijacked
from the pilot, or a pilot may have malicious intention to cause
physical harm to the building or spectators.”
Arenas and stadiums are known for having built-in infrastructure
that helps protect the people inside, including fences,
surveillance cameras, and metal detectors. Surprisingly, little can
be done to protect the headspace above the facility, making it
extremely vulnerable.
“We look at arenas/stadiums and see terrorism risks, such as
drones carrying or dropping unidentified payloads,” Lamprecht
said. “There is also the risk of drone crashes, which could be intended
or unintended from a spectator outside the arena who may
want to get footage for personal or commercial use, therefore capturing
illegal images and videos. A drone can easily carry anywhere 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 facilities
do to create a safer, more protected
airspace? Lamprecht would tell you the
best way is to invest in detection software
that allows stadiums and arenas to expertly
detect and track a drone that comes
near or into the airspace of the facility.
“Dedrone works with arenas/stadiums
by setting up the DroneTracker software
platform, which provides airspace
monitoring and displays on a convenient
browser interface,” Lamprecht said.
“DroneTracker allows users to readily
configure multiple sensors, including cameras
and radio frequency/Wi-Fi, and deploy
active and passive countermeasures
for automatic, 24/7 operation. The software
continuously displays real time airspace
information, and detects and identifies
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 stadium
or arena, such as a bird, kite or blimp.
“Drones have a unique communication
signal which can be detected through
Wi-Fi and radio frequency,” Lamprecht
said. “Dedrone’s software platform listens
in to these signals, along with using cameras,
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 detected,
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 potentially
cause them to crash,” Lemprecht
said. “DroneTracker has a sensor which
allows for an accurate reading of the direction
of the drone, so in the case a tailgater
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 spectators
out from under the path of the drone.
“Another measure we advise is to
move patrons of a show away from a hovering
drone,” Lemprecht said. “If there is a
retractable roof, the detection of a drone
can automatically deploy its closure. Security
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 Lamprecht says there is actually
no such thing as a fence or gate that automatically
redirects a UAS through signal.
“‘No fly zones’ are a suggestion, not an
actual deployment, as we still see drones
coming through federally protected airspace
at airports, and distracting operations,”
Lamprecht said. “Reports of possible
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 period
in 2015.1”
As the sightings continue to increase,
so does the threat level. Lamprecht says the
wide availability of the machines coupled
with advances in technology will only create
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, especially
as drones become accessible to any
user, and there are limited laws barring operation,”
Lamprecht said. “Arenas and stadiums
will need to consider what sort of
protection they want to provide their spectators
and performers from aerial threats
as a part of their overall security program
ecosystem.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Security Today.