County-wide responsibility
Ports, utilities, schools, and large events across the county, often with the sheriff as the agency other departments call for mutual aid. A county program sets the standard others lean on.
Counter-drone readiness under SAFER SKIES
The authority arrived July 1. The capacity did not.
The SAFER SKIES Act and the new 28 CFR Part 124 rule let certified state, local, and correctional officers detect drones and, with further certification, mitigate them. As of July 1, the FBI's National Counter-UAS Training Center had trained 61 officers across 46 agencies.
Who this is for
One rule, three different missions.
Events and venues
Stadiums, parades, and festivals draw drones and crowds together. Planning for an event starts weeks out, and so does the paperwork the rule requires.
Contraband over the fence
Drone drops of contraband into jails and prisons are a known pattern. Detection at the perimeter, with a clear chain to a certified responder, is where most facilities start.
Loading briefing
Video briefing
What the SAFER SKIES rule asks of your agency.
The certification tiers, the policy and reporting requirements, the bottleneck in mitigation training, and a practical path for the first 90 days.
Get ready
From authority to first operation, in seven steps.
The rule gives your agency the authority. It does not give you a program. Each step is a federal requirement. The three in rust run on fixed clocks, and missing one can mean an audit finding or a suspended authority.
- Start
Name the people
A senior Agency Approving Official, a program lead, and counsel who will certify plans.
- Before any use
Train and certify
Detection certification is online. Mitigation certification comes only from the FBI's training center, which had trained 61 officers by July 1.
- Before any use
Write the policy
An implementation policy, reviewed by counsel and attested through the federal portal.
- 7 days out
File the Operations Plan
Signed by the approving official, certified by counsel. Covers up to 30 days, or a year at a fixed site.
- 30 days out
Give advance notice
Required before mitigation, so the FAA and spectrum managers can coordinate. Emergencies allow notice within 2 hours after.
- Day of
Operate and report
Notify air traffic control within 5 minutes of mitigation. File the post-operation report within 48 hours.
- After
Keep the record
Delete control-signal data by day 180 unless an exception applies. Keep the audit trail 6 years. File semiannual summaries.
Deadlines from 28 CFR Part 124, effective July 1, 2026.
Waiting versus preparing
Mitigation training takes time. Readiness does not have to wait for it.
Waiting for a seat
- No policy in place when an incident hits
- Grant-funded equipment idle without certified operators
- Exposure to fines or suspension of authority
Preparing now
- Detection team certified through the online course
- Policy and plans ready for counsel and command
- Mutual aid arranged until mitigation seats open
A practical first 90 days
From authority on paper to a working program.
Assess
Protected sites, recurring events, current equipment, and staffing.
Certify
Detection team through the online course, with a training record.
Decide
Build mitigation capacity, or rely on a certified partner, and document why.
Document
Policy and procedures drafted for counsel and command review.
Deliverables
What the agency receives.
Readiness assessment
Where the agency stands on people, policy, plans, reporting, and partners.
Exposure mapping
Launch points and responding authority around the sites you protect.
Program development
Implementation policy, training plan, and procedures, drafted for counsel's review.
Ongoing compliance
Reporting support, data-minimization reviews, and audit preparation.
Built for Florida agencies. Programs account for Florida's drone statutes and Chapter 119 public-records law, so sensitive operational detail is handled with the applicable exemptions in mind. The work supports agency counsel and federal partners. It never replaces them.
Pocket reference
The Counter-Drone Field Guide.
A 38-page guide that fits a uniform pocket: drone types and silhouettes, Remote ID, sensors and their gaps, the patrol response, the federal clocks under 28 CFR Part 124, evidence, and privacy. It closes with a call chain, a sighting log, and three incident reports, so every sighting is recorded the same way.
- 4.25 x 6.875 in paperback
- $25 per copy
- Not training or certification
How it starts
A briefing first, then one site.
No charge
Command staff briefing
Sixty minutes on what Part 124 requires, the clocks, the penalties, and the routes to coverage, including mutual aid for agencies that do not want their own program.
$995 fixed
Site Exposure Snapshot
Your jail, venue, or port: likely launch areas from public data, the places to watch first, and a checked call sheet, in five business days. Credited toward the readiness assessment within 90 days.
Fixed fee
Readiness assessment
A scored checklist against Part 124, the items that block lawful operation, and a 90-day roadmap for command staff.
Every paid engagement has a fixed fee or rate agreed in writing before work begins. Site operators and insurers: see drone incursion exposure.
The path
Readiness in three stages.
Stage 1
Detection readiness
Readiness assessment, detection and warning policy, portal attestation, and a first Operations Plan.
Stage 2
Interdiction readiness
Eight gates to a first authorized mitigation operation, or a written route through an accredited partner or federal support.
Stage 3
Counter-Drone Compliance
Reviews, renewals, semiannual summaries, and audit-ready records, every year. See compliance.
Smaller departments do not need a program of their own. Under 28 CFR 124.4(c), an accredited agency can cover other agencies under a written mutual aid arrangement, and a small agency needs no equipment or accreditation to receive that support. A county regional program, led by the sheriff, sets that up once for every town in the county.
Common questions
What agencies ask first.
The FBI trains our people. What is left to do?
Only the FBI's training center certifies operators, and certification is one of five requirements. The policy, counsel concurrence, portal attestation, Operations Plans, data procedures, and reports are the agency's to build.
Our vendor says it handles compliance.
Contractors may install and maintain systems but may not operate mitigation or make the credible threat call (124.4(b)). The policy and filings belong to the agency. RJ Green Research sells no equipment.
Should we wait for the final rule?
The interim rule is in force now, and operating without a current attestation is a violation today (124.6(f)). Documents are built to update when the final rule arrives.
Do you train operators or run equipment?
No. The work is advisory and documentation only. It does not detect, track, or mitigate aircraft, and it does not provide training or certification.
Request a free briefing
Where does your agency stand today?
Share the jurisdiction, the sites or events that concern you, and any deadline you are working against. The reply will propose briefing dates for your command staff.
Prefer direct contact? [email protected] or (321) 252-9283