Porterville Recorder

Leaflets dropped over NFL games revive concerns about drones

- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTA CLARA — A Northern California man was cited for flying a drone over two NFL games this weekend and dropping political leaflets over the stadiums, reigniting concerns over remote aircraft at major sports events.

Federal and local laws prohibit flying drones near games, and authoritie­s are examining additional ways to prevent the unmanned aircraft from hovering over crowds of tens of thousands of people after the flights Sunday, Santa Clara police Lt. Dan Moreno said. He declined to discuss the security measures being considered.

The biggest concern is a drone injuring spectators, Moreno said.

“Those blades are sharp and spinning fast,” he said, adding that authoritie­s also are concerned with terrorists arming drones, though no such attack has been reported in the United States.

Police cited Tracy Michael Mapes, 55, with misdemeano­r charges and released him after a drone was spotted over Levi’s Stadium as the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks played.

The drone released fliers criticizin­g television news media during the second quarter of the game, but most of the papers blew out of the stadium on the windy and rainy day, Moreno said.

Leaflets also were dropped 30 miles away over Oakland-alameda County Coliseum, where the Raiders hosted the Denver Broncos. The flights didn’t disrupt either game Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administra­tion is investigat­ing, spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The agency banned drones during most major sporting events in 2014 after police detained people for using small drones at Carolina Panthers, University of Texas football games and others.

But the ban hasn’t stopped the practice completely.

Earlier this year, a drone crashed into the stands at Petco Park in San Diego during a baseball game, narrowly missing several fans. The drone operator wasn’t charged in that incident, but the mishap prompted Major League Baseball officials to review security procedures.

In 2015, a high school teacher was arrested after he crashed his drone into the stands at the U.S. Open, interrupti­ng play briefly.

Santa Clara police declined to discuss what security is in place for drones, though Moreno said cameras are “everywhere,” at Levi’s Stadium, one of the NFL’S newest facilities that hosted the 2016 Super Bowl.

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