Would Restrict Flights Over County Property

A Cook County, IL Commissioner is preparing legislation that would ban drone flights over county property, but says that forest preserves will probably be treated differently than the county jail.

The Chicago Daily Herald reports that the legislation proposed by Commissioner John Fritchey (D) follows the discovery of a drone on property belonging to the Cook County jail in March. The incident raised concerns about the aircraft being used to smuggle contraband into the jail, as well as aircraft capturing images inside hospitals and courtrooms.

Fritchey told the paper that he is not trying to change rules made by the county forest preserve district. He serves on that board as a county commissioner. But he is "looking at whether forest preserve policies need to be ... codified.

The preserve allows model airplanes to be flown during certain hours in some areas of the preserves, and the FAA treats drones in the same way as it does model airplanes.

Fritchey says he understands that recreational use of drones is very different from illicit uses such as carrying contraband into prisons. The proposal will be discussed at the commission's meeting June 7, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report