San Francisco 49ers head of security: NFL needs permission to shoot down threatening drones
The head of security at the San Francisco 49ers Levi Stadium said Thursday it is imperative for Congress to give the National Football League and other U.S. sports leagues venues the legal authority to shoot down drones, which the American government recently identified as the greatest national security threat.
"It’s a big issue as far as safety and security is concerned, it's certainly an issue within the stadium sector," Russ Butler, vice president of security operations at the northern California venue, said at the International Security Conference. "The legislative situation we have makes it incredibly challenging — at least from a mitigation standpoint — to do anything other than really track and monitor."
Congress passed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act last fall. The law bans the use of products that would rely on telecommunication networks to force the drone to return to its operator.
