Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard Asks for Authority to Combat Drones

OAKLAND COUNTY, May 27, 2025 ~ Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is calling on Congress to address “hostile” drones flying in local airspace by letting police agencies take them down.

“Under current law, if you shoot them down, you’re shooting at an aircraft. It’s the same thing as shooting at a plane, basically, because anything that’s flying in the air is under the regulation of Congress and the FAA,” Bouchard told WJR. “So anybody that shoots at a drone in the air is making a big mistake under current law. That’s not what we’re looking for (though). We’re not necessarily, at this point, looking at firearms. There are electronic alternatives that the military has, that the federal government has, and we’re just asking for authorization to be able to get and use the same things.“