NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The conversation around unknown flying objects has made it to in Middle Tennessee.
Several people in Murfreesboro said they saw bright lights hovering in the night sky Sunday night. Murfreesboro resident Matthew Holt said he walked outside after work and was puzzled when he saw a glowing orb floating near Interstate 24.
“[It looked] like a big eyeball, truth be told,” Holt said.
News 2 hasn’t confirmed what these lights are, but the national fascination around flying objects— which sparked after several sightings in New York and New Jersey — has grabbed lawmakers’ attention. Last week, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) wrote a letter to the Department of Defense asking for answers.
Many of the reported sightings across the U.S. were revealed to actually be fixed-wing aircraft. Multiple agencies have said these particular drone sightings do not pose a risk to U.S. security.
Former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi explained once the FBI has ruled out a foreign or domestic threat, the organization has completed its task. However, he’s not completely satisfied.
“Once we’ve ruled out, say, a foreign threat [or] a national security threat, I still see a gap here,” Figliuzzi said. “I see a gap in our government and the ability to take accountability — centralized, one-agency accountability — and the ability to track and trace the origin of a drone.”
Figliuzzi says the Department of Homeland Security has more ability to trace drones because of their responsibilities managing the border, and the Federal Aviation Administratoin (FAA) is responsible for airspace rules and regulations.
While Figliuzzi says drone sightings will become more common as drones become increasingly more popular, he says he’s in favor of more intelligence sharing and legislation that would authorize someone to follow or even shoot down a threatening drone.
“The best proposed legislation I’ve seen recently is by a congresswoman by the name of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill out of New Jersey,” Figliuzzi said. “She herself is a former combat helicopter operator in the military. I like what she’s proposing, which is ‘Let’s centralize accountability. Let’s get everybody talking to each other. Let’s equip local and state law enforcement with more ability to see intelligence and to equip them to actually get up in the air and follow these drones.'”
