(NewsNation) — Police chiefs of America’s largest cities have published the first guide about UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena, which details encounters and how officers can report the incidents.
Major Cities Chiefs Association, a forum for police executives, says UAPs and UFOs pose a national security threat and it’s the responsibility of police officers to know how to detect, track and report them.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings discussed the importance of having a unified plan to handle any encounter or sighting of UAPs on NewsNation’s “Morning in America” on Thursday.
Jennings said the 11-page guide is to help officers understand that unexplained occurrences do happen and it’s important for them to know what to do if they ever encounter that experience.
“They’re happening. Whether you believe in what the origin of them is or not, they’re happening, and it’s important that we are able to report,” Jennings said.
Jennings hasn’t personally seen a UAP or UFO, and sighting reports are fairly low in his city. However, he said they do happen more often in other parts of the U.S.
“We just want to make sure that they’re reporting properly, and they’re taken seriously,” Jennings said.
His police department doesn’t have resources dedicated to UAPs and UFOs, and most departments across the nation don’t have funding for it either. However, police leaders are hoping the little handbook can work as a guide and bring awareness to departments in the U.S.
The goal of the guidebook is to normalize UAP and UFO sightings so that when and if an officer does encounter something, the officer knows what to do and the command to which the officer is reporting, takes them seriously.
“It’s important to make sure we’re tracking these incidents,” Jennings said.