D.C.
Resident Cited for Illegal Drone Operation Near Washington Monument
WASHINGTON – At 1:20 a.m. on Friday,
Oct. 9 the United States Park Police and United States Secret Service responded
to an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or drone, spotted flying in the vicinity
of the Washington Monument. Flying any kind of UAS or drone anywhere in
Washington, D.C. or in national parks is illegal.
Officers from both agencies made contact with the
operator after the individual lost control of the drone and it landed on the
Ellipse. The United State Park Police issued Howard Solomon III, from
Washington, D.C., a citation and confiscated the drone and other equipment used
to operate it.
United States Secret Service located the F182 6
Axis Quadcopter on the Ellipse, just inside the entrance at 16th St. and
Constitution Ave. and turned it over to the United States Park Police.
Federal law prohibits flying all unmanned aircraft,
more commonly called drones, in the heavily regulated Flight Restricted Zone
around Washington, D.C., including from private property inside the FRZ.
Additionally, launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircrafts is prohibited
in all areas administered by the National Park Service. Know Before You Fly! To
learn more visit https://www.faa.gov/uas/no_drone_zone/dc/.
This is the ninth incident involving illegal
operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Greater Washington area national park
in 2015, and the 26th since 2013.
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About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees
care for America’s 408 national parks and work with communities across the
nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational
opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
About the United States Park Police: USPP supports the mission of the National Park
Service by providing law enforcement to safeguard lives, protect national
treasures and symbols of democracy, and preserve the natural and cultural
resources entrusted to the care of the National Park Service. USPP officers are
located in the Washington, New York, and San Francisco metropolitan areas. The
force was created by President George Washington in 1791.