NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the city may soon get authority needed to take down hostile drones

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tuesday the department expects to get clearance soon from the federal government to use new technology to take down hostile drones which might be used in attacks in the city as the threat of worldwide terrorism remains high.

The NYPD can now detect drones but lacks authority to take them down. Tisch said millions of dollars have been spent in anticipation of federal approval.

Speaking at the annual State of The NYPD address before an audience of city and state politicians, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, law enforcement officials as well as business leaders, Tisch said persistent threats have emerged around the world from ISIS.

"New York City remains part of that threat calculus and we plan accordingly," Tisch said at the event hosted by the nonprofit New York City Police Foundation.

Referring to the war in Ukraine and the way drone technology has changed the nature of conflict, Tisch said the new warfare methods are her greatest worry.

"The thing that keeps me up at night is drones, tactics that once belonged to military are now increasingly acceptable to smaller groups and individuals and commercial drones can be easily adapted into weapons of war" Tisch said.

With the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 looming, Tisch said the drone threat looms large so the NYPD expects to get approval from Washington this year to use technology to take down drones. She didn’t elaborate on what methods the NYPD is seeking.

In a wide ranging speech, Tisch again reminded the audience of how in the past year the NYPD, has driven down violent crime such as shootings and murders to the lowest levels since the modern era of record keeping began in 1994. She took over as commissioner in November 2024 amid a department wracked by scandal and low morale.

The Bronx, which has traditionally had a large crime problem compared to its population size, will be divided into two borough patrols commands which will bring in an additional 200 officers, she announced.

Tisch also acknowledged that problems with the current generation of taser devices, originally expected to reduce the likelihood of the need the use of deadly, is prompting the use of a new generation of the device which will allow officers to stand further away from potential suspects.

As expected, Tisch announced the appointment of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rev. A.J. Bernard as co-chief chaplains. She also announced the police academy in College Point, Queens, will be officially renamed after the late Det. Steven McDonald in July.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.