Feature Article: Testing C-UAS with State and Local Law Enforcement

Last month, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) deployed a team from its National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) to a federal test facility to assess the latest Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) technologies with law enforcement partners. The field test gave participating first responders an opportunity to evaluate C-UAS system capabilities and consider how such technologies may support their operational needs.

S&T fielded a variety of C-UAS equipment at the August assessment. This offered responders an opportunity to get hands-on experience in an operational setting with the solutions that are currently available to them before making any purchasing decisions. Photo credit: S&T.

Over the last several years, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have increasingly shaped both strategic and tactical environments. As these systems become more accessible and widely used, their potential implications for homeland security have also grown. S&T is working with first responders and law enforcement partners to better understand the technologies available to address these evolving challenges.

Over the course of the week-long assessment, responders put the systems to the test against several drones. Photo credit: S&T.

"We're leading this C-UAS assessment, specifically looking at the mitigation aspects of these products," said NUSTL Director Alice Hong. "If first responders are going to deploy a technology, we'll test it under operational conditions to ensure that it's suitable for their operations."

S&T convened subject matter experts and first responders from around the country for the assessments. Here, NUSTL's Hong briefs participants about the threat landscape and the importance of capturing responder feedback on the performance of these C-UAS systems. Photo credit: S&T. NUSTL coordinated this event with S&T's C-UAS research, development, testing, and evaluation team, which supports DHS Components and partners by identifying and assessing technologies that can help detect, track, identify, and, where legally authorized, mitigate unauthorized UAS activity. Photo credit: S&T.

This type of assessment is part of S&T's broader effort to provide first responders with objective, operationally relevant information about commercially available technologies. S&T's System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program provides independent and unbiased test and evaluation of technology and equipment that first responders can purchase on the commercial market. SAVER reports include not only the final testing results, but also guidance on how to use the information provided, as well as how to understand the test methods that were implemented during the assessments.

"We recognize that state and local public safety agencies don't have endless budgets, and frontline operators can't be expected to also be technologists and engineers. That's where I think SAVER is of high value," Hong said. "It's a trusted resource, like Consumer Reports for a first responder."

This is an important benefit to the nation because first responders are focused on responding to emergencies and protecting the public. Finding the time, expertise, and funding to conduct their own testing of the vast marketplace just isn't realistic. It drains their resources and pulls them away from their core mission.

"Our layered expertise with C-UAS and first responder equipment testing positions us to execute a field test looking at both the suitability and performance of C-UAS, ultimately helping law enforcement understand advantages and disadvantages when seeking to integrate these types of systems into their operations," said NUSTL Operational Suitability Test Director Kris Dooley.

What makes S&T's work in the C-UAS landscape even more imperative now is that anti-drone operations are increasingly falling under the responsibility of state and local law enforcement.

Law enforcement from multiple jurisdictions participated in the assessment. Photo credit: S&T.

"The impetus for this testing is the Safer Skies Act, which adds authorities for state and local law enforcement to perform C-UAS missions," said NUSTL Operational Effectiveness Test Director Blaise Linn. "As agencies consider how to build or enhance their C-UAS capabilities, the results from this test can provide objective information to support future planning and procurement decisions."

Through NUSTL, S&T provides the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial first responder community with unbiased testing and metrics information so that they themselves can make the most informed procurement decisions for their specific needs.

SAVER does not endorse specific products or vendors. The team conducts assessments and validations on commercial equipment and systems that fall under the categories listed in the DHS Authorized Equipment List and then provides results to the emergency responder community. Shown here is radio frequency (RF) C-UAS equipment that was tested during this assessment. Photo credit: S&T.

"The collaboration from all the local and federal agencies and partners from across the nation…it was impressive," said Sergeant Jordan Kennedy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Emergency Operations Bureau. "I'm on the C-UAS Task Force for the Los Angeles area. I thought it would be a good opportunity to share our experience and our understanding of this equipment with other law enforcement agencies around the nation, to give them feedback for when they do their procurement."

The assessments took place over five days in August. Several C-UAS technologies were deployed in simulated real-world scenarios where responders would be expected to mitigate intruder UAS flights.

Portability, mobility, and ease of use are all extremely important for first responders when it comes to C-UAS equipment. Photo credit: S&T.

The first scenario involved a "credible threat to a public gathering," where the team was tasked with evaluating how easy or difficult it was to lift and move the equipment to a specific location.

"This scenario was basically a setup and tear-down of the equipment," said Linn. "They are testing the portability of the systems by physically carrying these cases up the stairs, setting up the tripods, mounting the systems, and getting them all plugged in and turned on."

Once the equipment was transported to its destination, the responders had to make sure it worked. Photo credit: S&T. "Once the systems are in place and working, then they can look back and evaluate the difficulty of the set-up and if it is a realistic task for their response operations," said Linn. Photo credit: S&T.

The second scenario was modeled on mitigation of incoming UAS during a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 event.

"We had the C-UAS systems up and running," said Linn. "And then we had drones flying in as if they were attacking this SEAR 1 event that we created. And then our law enforcement colleagues used the systems to detect, track, and then mitigate the incoming UAS threats."

A pilot preps a quadcopter for the SEAR 1 scenario by checking to make sure the drones are in working order before the sortie is flown. Photo credit: S&T. A trainer and first responder evaluator set up a system during a hands-on familiarization session with the equipment. Photo credit: S&T. First responder evaluators executing tracking and mitigation operations during the SEAR 1 scenario. Photo credit: S&T.

"In my role as Supervisor of the Drone Unit, we're in the process of figuring out exactly how this is going to work in Atlanta," said Sergeant Kindu Franklin of the Atlanta Police Department. "We host large events on a regular basis. The benefit of us being here is that we're working with other law enforcement officers and government officials who use these products on a day-to-day basis. So, being able to get a bit of a refresher on the equipment is going to really help with procurement decisions."

First responders were able to track the drones and execute mitigation efforts from tablets that can be vehicle mounted. Photo credit: S&T. RF C-UAS equipment with varying mitigation techniques have different roles in providing a layered C-UAS defense. Photo credit: S&T.

"We have a high operational tempo. We support all kinds venues and events. We just finished up with World Cup matches in Houston, and the fan fest along with it. We've also had the World Series. So, lots of large crowds with everybody wanting to bring their drone into restricted areas," said Air Support C-UAS Coordinator Carl Sedita of the Houston Police Department. "Ultimately the thing that will probably assist us with our mission the most is the advanced detection."

The team was able to view radar tracking of UAS in real time. Photo credit: S&T.

"We took some technologies that currently are living mostly in the defense space and gauged whether they have relevance in the public safety space," said Hong. "Obviously, they have different objectives and constraints as different operational end users, so we ran them through a wide range of public safety tests to ensure that they perform as needed."

"The technologies that were used to detect, track, and mitigate the incoming drones were systems that have been previously evaluated by federal agencies," said Linn. Photo credit: S&T.

Now that the testing is complete, the NUSTL team is hard at work documenting results and feedback that will soon be made available to the law enforcement community.

"We'll prepare reports covering the physical characteristics of the equipment, and its usability," said Linn. "We will also address how well the technology works from the perspective of the performance metrics we established."

The bottom line is that protecting the homeland is a team effort that requires science, technology, innovation, and collaboration. The saying "Teamwork makes the dream work" comes to mind.

UAS and C-UAS technology is advancing quickly, so providing first responders with operational experience is more important than ever. Photo credit: S&T.

"This has been a great experience. Learned a lot about all the different systems that are available out there," said Kennedy. "It was just great to get a sense of all the different types of systems that are available to us."

For more information about NUSTL's C-UAS work with response agencies, contact [email protected]. For related media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

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