(CNN) – Mysterious drones have been flying over Colorado and Nebraska in recent weeks and authorities have not been able to find out who is behind the aircraft.
Authorities have seen more than 16 unmanned drones flying in northeastern Colorado after they received multiple reports of drone sightings last month, the sheriff’s offices in Yuma and Phillips counties in Colorado said.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN that multiple FAA divisions and government agencies are investigating drone reports in Colorado and Nebraska.
Yuma County Sheriff Todd Combs said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it seems that drones were at least 45-60 meters away from buildings and people and were flying in an airspace controlled by the federal government.
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The drone, Combs said, is operating within federal guidelines but is making residents “very nervous and anxious.”
“People don’t like the unknown because it disrupts the balance of our lives,” Combs wrote.
Yuma and Phillips County officials have said they don’t believe drones are malicious in nature.
“There are many theories about what is happening, but at this point, that’s all. I think we all feel a bit vulnerable due to the intrusion of our privacy that we enjoy in our rural community, but I don’t have a solution or know one at this time. All I can say is don’t live your life in fear of the unknown, ”wrote the sheriff.
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Several agencies are expected to attend a meeting on the drone incident on Monday, Combs said.
Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado said he is closely monitoring the situation.
“I have been in contact with the FAA regarding the strong drone activity in eastern Colorado and I am encouraged to have opened a full investigation to know the source and purpose of the drones,” tweeted on Tuesday.
Incidents occur when the FAA proposed new rules that will require that most drones use remote identification technology that will allow the FAA, law enforcement and federal security agencies to identify the drones that fly in their jurisdiction.
Almost 1.5 million drones and 160,000 remote pilots are registered in the FAA, said the agency.
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