Michigan lawmakers hear public‑safety case for drones as lawmakers flag counter‑UAS and cybersecurity gaps

At a meeting of the Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence in Lansing, Matt Rybar, president of the Michigan Public Safety Drone Association, told lawmakers that public‑safety agencies across the state are using drones for search and rescue, tactical operations, scene assessment and disaster response but that Michigan lacks robust detection and mitigation capabilities for nefarious drone use.

Rybar, who also works in remote operations for Unmanned Vehicle Technologies and serves locally as an emergency manager and patrol officer, said the association represents roughly 500 members and about 20 organizations and that roughly 200 agencies in Michigan now operate drones. He said the association has organized training and regional events to raise operational standards and will soon roll out a flight proficiency accreditation intended to document hands‑on capability.

"This drone should be looked at as just the next tool in that toolkit," Rybar said, arguing that drone data should be treated like other law‑enforcement digital evidence and handled under established cybersecurity standards.

Why it matters: Rybar told the committee that agencies rely on foreign‑manufactured airframes for capability and cost reasons, while U.S. manufacturers lag three to five years behind in features and remain substantially more expensive. That gap, he said, complicates any effort to ban certain manufacturers without leaving responders…