Legislator David Tubiolo (Yonkers & Mount Vernon), a member of the Westchester County Legislature’s Committee on Public Safety & Social Services, co-sponsored the Correctional Facility Safety Bill, which passed unanimously at a recent Board of Legislators meeting.

The Bill prohibits ‘unmanned aerial vehicle’ (UAV) commonly known as drones from being flown within a 1000’ radius of the Westchester County Correctional Facility located in Valhalla, NY.  The measure was strongly supported by the Westchester County Correction Superior Officers Association (WCCSOA).

“This is common sense legislation.  It acts as a deterrent with a means of enforcement to those individuals who would otherwise attempt to provide inmates in a correctional setting with drugs or weapons through the use of drones.  I want to thank Legislator Tubiolo for co-sponsoring this legislation and appreciate the Board of Legislators unanimously approving it,” said Bruce Donnelly, President of Westchester County Correction Superior Officers Association (WCCSOA).

Some of the newest developments for inmates at correctional facilities are to receive contraband via drones.  Around the country, people outside correctional facilities utilize drones to fly and drop perilous contraband for inmates to retrieve.

“We must protect our correction officers, inmates and residents as much as possible. By prohibiting drones from flying within 1000’ of our correctional facility, we’ll be preventing dangerous contraband such as, messages, narcotics and weapons from getting to inmates” said Legislator Tubiolo.

As drones advance technologically they’ll be operating over longer distances and carrying heavier payloads. Already, there are some drones which are operate over a 1 mile range and can carry human weight.  Unmanned drones tend to fly at very low levels, generally around 400’. These levels aren’t within the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).