Tech

Hey DC! Send Us Your Secret Service Drone Photos

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Giuseppe Macri Tech Editor
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Last week the U.S. Secret Service announced plans to begin flight testing drones throughout Washington, D.C. “in the coming days and weeks,” and The Daily Caller needs your help to spot the agency’s newest toys as they patrol the capital region.

In a brief two-paragraph statement released last week, the agency declined to give any specific details about when or where the exercises will take place, save “normally flight restricted areas.” The Secret Service also declined to explain the why behind the exercises, though they’re likely a response to the drone crashed on the White House lawn by a government employee in January.

The crashed quadcopter — piloted by a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee of questionable sobriety — exposed a critical security breach brought on by the expanding popularity of private drones, which have recently been spotted flying over landmarks in Paris and trying to smuggle drugs across the U.S.-Mexican border.

According to The Washington Post, both the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have examined private drones’ potential to carry explosives and other weapons. The recently announced exercises are likely an extension of those investigations.

The agency has refused to answer any questions about the type of exercises or drones they will use, but TheDC intends to find out — with your help.

If you’re in or around the D.C. area — especially high-profile locales (the White House, Capitol Building, Pentagon, etc.) — keep an eye out for other eyes in the sky and tweet your photos to @DailyCaller with the hashtag #DroneWatch, or upload them to Facebook in the comments section under this post, and we’ll include them in the story.

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