by Lee Reiber, COO, Oxygen Forensics, Inc.

The proliferation of recreational drones and their impact on digital incident response has dramatically increased during the last several years. In January 2018, Nextgov stated the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported over 1 million drone operators registered with the United States government. This number continues to grow each holiday season, when new unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are introduced to market and users hit the streets armed with drones that can fly great distances, record crystal clear video, and carry a payload.

These systems are currently regulated by the FAA, and guidelines have been given to local law enforcement on how to handle drone incidents. However, these guidelines apply only to systems that have been registered in the United States. Those that have not been registered are currently allowed to fly and will continue to fly.

Types of Investigations

UAS investigations may…