Safer Skies Act Passes House: Local Police Can Now Take Down Drones At NFL Games

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We’ve been reporting on stadium drone incidents for years, and Wednesday’s House vote changes everything for the 2026 World Cup and beyond. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Safer Skies Act by a decisive 312-112 vote, authorizing state and local law enforcement to disable drones at major sporting events, a power previously reserved for federal agents.

The legislation, bundled into the larger National Defense Authorization Act, now heads to the Senate for a vote expected as early as next week. If signed into law, it would mark the most significant expansion of domestic counter-drone authority since Congress first granted limited powers to the FBI and DHS in 2018.

The urgency is clear. According to ESPN, the NFL has documented more than 2,000 drone incursions per season for each of the past three years into restricted airspace around its stadiums. That 3-nautical-mile, 3,000-foot temporary flight restriction exists for every game, but until now, only federal officials could legally do anything about violations.

Key Facts At A Glance

DetailInformation
House Vote312-112 (bipartisan)
Bill NameSafer Skies Act (part of NDAA)
Senate VoteExpected as early as next week
NFL Drone Incursions2,000+ per season (past 3 years)
Current TFR Zone3 nautical miles (3.45 statute miles), up to 3,000 feet
TFR Duration1 hour before to 1 hour after games
Key Events Covered2026 World Cup, Summer Olympics, NFL, MLB, NCAA, NASCAR

Why This Bill Exists: The 4,145% Surge

The numbers tell the story. NFL security officials report that unauthorized drone incidents at games skyrocketed from 67 in 2018 to 2,845 in 2023, a staggering 4,145% increase over five years. These aren’t hypothetical threats. Games have been paused mid-play.

In January 2024, a wild-card playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers was temporarily suspended when a drone flew directly over the bowl of M&T Bank Stadium. That same month, the AFC Championship Game between the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs was also paused after a drone entered restricted airspace.

“As our nation prepares to host the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics, robust airspace security will help mitigate credible threats and keep Americans and global visitors safe as they enjoy these world-class sporting events,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told ESPN.

What Changes Under The Safer Skies Act

Currently, only a handful of major events like the Super Bowl and World Cup final have federal law enforcement on-site with authority to neutralize drone threats. Nearly all other major sporting events, including thousands of NFL, MLB, and NASCAR events each year, operate without that protection.

The Safer Skies Act would train and authorize state and local law enforcement to receive the same counter-drone capabilities as federal agents. According to Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the Association of Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), drones can be disabled through several methods:

  • Asking the operator to land voluntarily
  • Jamming the drone’s radio frequency
  • Capturing with a net
  • Ramming with another drone
  • Shooting it out of the sky

“Over the next three years, the United States will host numerous major events that necessitated the expansion of these authorities to combat the emerging drone threats,” a White House official told ESPN. “The administration is committed to ensuring these world-class international events [are] safe and secure for all participants.”

Sports Leagues Have Been Pushing For Years

This legislation didn’t appear overnight. In February 2024, the NFL, NCAA, MLB, and NASCAR formally endorsed a previous effort to give law enforcement officials drone-mitigation powers at stadiums.

“For several years, the NCAA has expressed concern for the threat that unauthorized drones pose at NCAA championships and college sporting events,” said Tim Buckley, the NCAA’s senior vice president of external affairs.

The sports industry lobbying effort intensified after high-profile incidents made national headlines. MLB’s David Thomas, Senior Vice President of Security and Ballpark Operations, has called drones a “growing and unmitigated threat” to the league’s 70 million annual attendees.

The 2026 World Cup Factor

The timing of this legislation is no coincidence. The United States will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup across 11 cities, bringing millions of international visitors to stadiums that, under current law, lack comprehensive drone defense.

Federal officials have already begun preparing. The FBI National Counter UAS Training Center in Alabama recently graduated its first class of officers trained in counter-drone operations. The $500 million federal grant program for drone detection systems requires agencies to have officers either trained or scheduled for training at the FBI center to access funding.

The White House World Cup Task Force has listed drones as one of the top threats to the event’s security. With time running out before 2026, federal leaders decided not to wait for perfect legislation.

DroneXL’s Take

This is a significant moment for the drone industry, and we need to be honest about both sides of it.

The security concern is real. We’ve documented the Ravens playoff game disruption and covered the NFL’s surge in stadium drone incursions extensively. When games are being paused because drones are flying over 70,000 fans, something has to change. The DEFENSE Act introduced earlier this year by Senators Cotton and Rosen laid the groundwork, and the Safer Skies Act appears to be the vehicle that will finally deliver these expanded powers.

But here’s what concerns us: mission creep.

We’ve spent 2025 documenting the expansion of police counter-drone powers for the 2026 World Cup, and the pattern is clear. What starts as “stadium security” or “emergency response” tends to expand. In Las Vegas, police drones launched as first responder tools are now deployed from rooftop networks across the city, drawing ACLU scrutiny. In Oregon, Senate Bill 238A sparked massive public opposition over surveillance concerns. Syracuse lawmakers have blocked their police drone program four times in 2025, demanding privacy protections before deployment.

The Safer Skies Act is narrowly written for sporting events, and that’s good. But once thousands of state and local officers are trained in counter-drone operations and equipped with jamming technology, the pressure to use those capabilities beyond stadiums will be immense.

For recreational pilots, the message is unchanged: stay away from stadium TFRs. The 3-nautical-mile restriction is already federal law. The difference now is that local police will have the training and legal authority to act immediately, not wait for federal backup that rarely arrives at regular-season games.

This legislation will likely pass the Senate and become law. The bipartisan 312-112 House vote signals broad support, and no senator wants to be blamed if something goes wrong at the World Cup. Whether this marks a reasonable expansion of security powers or the beginning of a broader domestic counter-drone apparatus depends entirely on how these new authorities are used, and whether Congress maintains meaningful oversight.

What do you think about expanding counter-drone powers to local police? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


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Haye Kesteloo
Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is a leading drone industry expert and Editor in Chief of DroneXL.co and EVXL.co, where he covers drone technology, industry developments, and electric mobility trends. With over nine years of specialized coverage in unmanned aerial systems, his insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, and cited by The Brookings Institute, Foreign Policy, Politico and others.

Before founding DroneXL.co, Kesteloo built his expertise at DroneDJ. He currently co-hosts the PiXL Drone Show on YouTube and podcast platforms, sharing industry insights with a global audience. His reporting has influenced policy discussions and been referenced in federal documents, establishing him as an authoritative voice in drone technology and regulation. He can be reached at haye @ dronexl.co or @hayekesteloo.

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