Overview
- The NYPD announced on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, that trained city teams will independently mitigate or take down unauthorized drones flying over the U.S. Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
- That power stems from the Safer Skies Act passed in late 2025 and a Department of Homeland Security rule that took effect July 1, 2026, which for the first time allows state and local agencies to conduct counter‑drone operations.
- Drone mitigation will be one layer of a broader security plan that includes a federal temporary flight restriction, bomb squad and K‑9 units, aviation and mounted teams, concrete perimeter barriers, multi‑layer screening and plainclothes officers.
- Officials said there are no specific credible threats to the tournament and noted rising drone incidents at other major sporting events this year, calling the U.S. Open the first national example of a local agency exercising the new authority and a possible model for future events.
- Spectators should expect screened entry, a list of banned items, increased police patrols on transit routes including the 7 train, and additional MTA and LIRR service to handle the roughly 1.2 million attendees expected during the tournament.