Secret Service to test its own drones to avoid future White House crashes

Likely in response to the January 2015 incident where a small consumer drone crashed inside the White House perimeter, the United States Secret Service announced that it will be conducting drone exercises in the Washington, DC, area “in the coming days and weeks.”

The agency did not elaborate beyond a short statement on Tuesday other than to say that the exercises “have been carefully planned and will be tightly controlled.”

In the wake of the White House incident, popular consumer drone maker DJI said that it would update its devices’ firmware to comply with the existing no-fly zone that is centered on downtown Washington, DC, and extends for a 25 kilometer (15.5 mile) radius in all directions.

Last fall, a small drone flew to within just a few feet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière at a campaign rally in Dresden.

Some local law enforcement agencies around the country have already been acquiring and testing drones, including the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and the San Jose Police Department, both in the San Francisco Bay area.