University Of Michigan Announces Temporary Ban On Drone Use
ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - Officials at the University of Michigan are placing a temporary ban on drone use on the school's Ann Arbor campus until a final policy is created.
The restrictions, which include indoor and outdoor use, apply to all students, faculty, staff, guests and visitors.
The ban was announced in an email to staff, which was obtained by the Ann Arbor News. It does not apply to labs or designated research areas. The school is in the process of building a netted, outdoor facility for drone research and educational uses.
Officials wrote in the email that "drones can interfere with the air-medical transport helicopters that regularly land" at the university's medical center.
"It has become essential to address the challenges to the safety and security of our campus and the surrounding community that may arise from the unsafe operation of these devices on or above our campus," the email said.
School spokesman Rick Fitzgerald confirmed to the newspaper that an unauthorized drone landed last year near the health system helipad.
"We certainly wouldn't want anything to interfere with the life-saving efforts of survival flight," Fitzgerald said.
TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
