Q&A: Can I shoot down a drone that flies over my house?

Tempting as it would be, it isn’t a good idea. First, it is illegal to shoot a gun in many Sonoma County jurisdictions. Second, it’s a federal crime to damage, destroy or disable any aircraft.|

CrimeBeat Q&A is a weekly feature where police reporter Julie Johnson answers readers’ questions about local crimes and the law.

If a drone flies over my house, can I shoot it down?

Tempting as it may be, it’s not a good idea.

First, it’s illegal to shoot a gun in many Sonoma County jurisdictions, such as Santa Rosa and Petaluma.

Second, it’s a federal crime to damage, destroy or disable any aircraft.

Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman, said a private citizen shooting at any aircraft, including unmanned aircraft, is creating a significant safety hazard.

“An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to people or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” Gregor wrote in an email.

Gregor said the FAA could seek civil penalties of up to $12,856 against a person who shoots at an unmanned aircraft. He said federal and local criminal charges may apply as well.

A small claims court judge ordered a Modesto man who shot down a drone near his home in 2014 to pay $850 to replace the person’s damaged hexacopter drone, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In 2015, a drone interfered with a firefighting air tanker waiting to drop thousands of gallons of fire retardant on a fire in the San Bernardino Mountains. The air tanker was diverted and sent to a different fire. It’s unclear if the drone operator was ever identified.

That same year, an employee with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency crashed a recreational drone on the grounds of the White House, causing a brief lockdown in what was described as an off-duty accident.

A Kentucky judge dropped charges against a man accused of wanton endangerment and criminal mischief after he shot down a drone flying over his backyard where his daughters were playing, according to Kentucky news station WDRB.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Chad Heiser said it’s not a crime to fly a drone over someone’s private property but there are laws against peeping and also laws against destroying private property.

“This could be a case where the law hasn’t caught up with technology,” Heiser said.

Submit your questions about crime, safety and criminal justice to Staff Writer Julie Johnson at julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.

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