ROCKAWAY BEACH, Queens (WABC) — New York City has increased surveillance of its beaches for sharks in the water.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the NYPD’s TARU unit demonstrated the technology they are using to identify sharks off the coast of Rockaway Beach.<\/p>\n
There have been more closures of the beach to swimming this year partly due to sharks coming close to the shore, but also thanks to the better technology being used to spot them from the air.<\/p>\n
The increased surveillance has spotted 16 sharks between July 1 and July 5 off Rockaway Beach.<\/p>\n
A member of the NYPD’s drone team flies a drone about 100 yards offshore, beyond the jetties, while keeping the camera zoomed out to capture a wide view of the water.<\/p>\n
Officers look for shark silhouettes in the water, such as those seen in drone footage recorded by police cameras this summer.<\/p>\n
“People are able to tell what kind of shark it is on the zoom. It’s a great capability on these drones,” NYPD Detective Jorge Bravo said. “We could get lower. We don’t necessarily need to get lower because the zoom on the cameras is good enough.”<\/p>\n
If a shark is spotted, police notify the city’s Parks Department by radio. Beaches are then closed for one hour, extending a half-mile in each direction from where the shark was seen.
Beachgoers say they appreciate the added safety measures.<\/p>\n
“The sharks were pretty prevalent,” said Bob Groff, who lives near Rockaway Beach. “We saw two sharks on Fourth of July weekend where we could see the body. It was that close. Yeah, a little unnerving.”<\/p>\n
The drones are also used for water rescues.<\/p>\n
Attached to the drones are inflatable flotation devices that can be dropped to swimmers in distress. The devices can support two adults while they wait for lifeguards to arrive.<\/p>\n
Police said they have been using drones to search for sharks along city beaches for the past three years.<\/p>\n
A woman was bitten while swimming at Beach 59th Street in Aug. 2023<\/a>, the first of its kind in city waters since the 1950s.<\/p>\n Shark sighting protocol:If a shark is reported, the beach is closed for one hour a half mile in each direction from the location the shark was spotted, then we move to get aerial confirmation from drones.If aerial surveillance confirms sharks, beach is closed one mile in each direction for at least an hour. If there’s confirmation of more than one shark in a group, the entire beach is closed.The water will remain closed for at least one hour from the last confirmed sighting, or until sharks are confirmed not to be present.<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More New York City news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n
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