Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Tuesday the city will use “drone surveillance” and “drone protection” to ensure greater security and protect against terrorism at the World Cup.
Houston’s police force currently uses drones in a limited capacity. But Chief Larry Satterwhite, director of public safety and homeland security for the City of Houston, noted Houston police now have “extra equipment” for drone surveillance, and Houston officials will coordinate their counterterrorism efforts with federal officials.
“It’s something that’s front of mind that we’re working on,” Satterwhite told Chron. “We are in a constant challenge to keep up with the challenge of technology, with both the good [drones] can do, but also the nefarious ways they can be used.
“So, it’s a real concern to us. Overall, I think we’re ready for this. We’re going to use everything we can.”
Terror attacks from large groups or foreign organizations aren’t the biggest concern for Houston officials as the World Cup approaches.
Christina Garza, Public Affairs Officer for the FBI Houston division, said Tuesday her department is focused instead on “lone-wolf actors,” who don’t leave traces before their potential attack. Houston officials hope the use of drones can find those actors in the process of planning or carrying out a potential act, which would allow law enforcement to respond within minutes of an alert.
Houston officials declined to provide the number of drones expected to be deployed during the World Cup, though Chief of Police J. Noe Diaz said the program will not be limited to Houston Stadium or the FIFA Fan Festival in EaDo. The drones will instead be deployed across the city with a “heavy footprint with our partners at the FBI.”
Government drones will fly across Houston throughout the World Cup. City officials warned Tuesday the same rules don’t apply to civilians.
“If you do want to fly your own personal drone, I suggest you don’t,” Diaz said Tuesday, though his edict doesn’t extend to the entire Greater Houston area. Instead, Houston will enact drone restrictions in the areas surrounding both Houston Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival in EaDo, joining current drone restrictions around the Texas Medical Center, Memorial Park and the Galleria.
Similar restrictions are in place in World Cup host cities across the United States, with potential penalties for airspace violations including a $100,000 fine, up to one year in prison and seizure of the drone in question.
“[Drones will be] taken down one-by-one, dealt with in some way,” Satterwhite said. “We know there are private drone owners. We do ask that they be mindful of where you’re not supposed to fly them, curtail that behavior, please. The public can get very scared, too. They don’t know it’s an enthusiast; we want to avoid any kind of fear or anything like that.”
No-fly restrictions aren’t in place for Houston or federal officials. Cristian Soyez, an acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Houston, said officials will communicate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) if they need to fly drones over Houston Stadium, the FIFA Fan Festival or any other restricted airspace.