Football games, open events and gatherings draw students, faculty and numerous visitors to ULM’s campus. These large crowds need protection, especially as technology evolves and threats emerge. To further keep attendees safe and enhance campus security, ULM took proactive measures by implementing drone detection.
Mark Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and training director for the ULM Police Department, leads the implementation of the new drone detection system funded by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Like all tragedies that take place, the question asked is ‘Why didn’t we see this coming?’” Johnson said. “This system is an added layer of security for what could be a new potential threat against our students and university.”
With the use of the drone detection and airspace intelligence platform “SkySafe,” a tower is used to actively detect drones around the university campus and in the surrounding areas, extending up to 25 miles away.
“It is not a physical drone but a system that will interrogate a drone to determine if it is a friend or foe,” Johnson said. “The system detects the drone serial number, manufacturer, beginning and current point location and where the operator is.”
Representing SkySafe at the time of print was senior account executive Rob Clark, who explained the company’s excitement about partnering with ULM to provide 24/7 real-time drone detection.
“Unauthorized drones pose growing risks to universities, especially during large events like football games and academic ceremonies, where they can disrupt operations, compromise security and put large crowds at risk,” Clark said. “This partnership helps ULM move beyond a traditional reactive approach to proactively monitor its airspace, using real-time visibility and actionable intelligence to identify potential threats and respond more effectively.”
With this new system in place and the evolving technology of drones, Johnson encourages people to educate themselves about the various rules, laws and regulations governing drone use in different jurisdictions to avoid future issues.
“The main problem with drones is that people are uneducated on what you can and cannot do with them,” Johnson said. “Our job is not to hijack anyone possessing drones, but we want to keep it safe and educate them.”
Moving forward, the ULM Police Department plans to enhance safety by continuing to implement and refine new measures necessary for ULM’s campus.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article along with the print incorrectly attributed Rob Clark as the Senior Director of Public Relations at SkySafe. It has been corrected to “Representing SkySafe at the time of print was senior account executive Rob Clark, who explained the company’s excitement about partnering with ULM to provide 24/7 real-time drone detection.”
