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Schumer calls for crackdown on commercial drones

Calling New York the “Wild West” when it comes to drone activity, Sen. Charles Schumer on Sunday called on the federal government to quickly develop a set of guidelines to regulate the remote-controlled aircraft.

Citing safety and privacy concerns, Schumer said the FAA and Commerce Department need to do more to crack down on commercial and hobby drones, specifically those used by private investigators to spy on citizens and drug dealers who use them to deliver product.

“The use of small drones for commercial purposes have reached new heights,” Schumer said. “Some might even say that New York City is the Wild West of drones. There are a whole lot of them that are unregulated.

“Until clear, smart regulations are put in place by the federal government, they will continue to threaten the privacy and safety of New Yorkers,” Schumer added.

He noted that while drone technology has many useful benefits for law enforcement and disaster relief, they are too often used for dangerous and sinister purposes — such as the drone that nearly collided with a NYPD helicopter last month.

“Do we want to allow private investigators to use drones to follow individuals? That’s a scary thought,” Schumer said, citing a Post report that revealed private eyes use them to catch client’s cheating partners in the act.

“There’s also reports of drug dealers using drones to deliver illegal drugs,” he added. “This year a drone was caught flying into a maximum security prison in South Carolina carrying marijuana.”

Additional reporting by Daniel Prendergast