CMPD Chief Jennings weighs in on U.S. police chiefs UAP handbook

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Do you believe in UFOs?

Unidentified Flying Objects have a new, more modern name: UAPs, or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon.

Have you seen one?

They’ve been in the news more and more lately. So much so that officials think they pose a high enough national security threat to create an instructional book on how to handle them. And it’s in use right here in Charlotte.

Is it the responsibility of police officers to know how to detect, track, and report UAPs?

A forum of Police Executives, known as The Major Cities Chief Association, thinks so, and has come up with a unified plan to handle encounters or sightings of UAPs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings is among them.

“They’re happening.  Whether you believe in what the origin of them is or not, they are happening and it’s important that we are able to report them, ” Chief Jennings told NewsNation.

So officials have come up with an 11-page guide to help law enforcement officers understand that unexplained occurrences do happen, and it’s important to know what to do about them. The point of the handbook is to normalize the conversation around UAPs. The guide is the first of its kind for U.S. law departments.

Chief Jennings says he personally hasn’t seen a UAP, and his department hasn’t had a great deal of reporting them in Charlotte. But they do happen in other parts of the country.  All must be recorded properly and taken seriously.

According to CMPD, 12  UAPs have been reported here since 2005. And according to the National UFO Reporting Center, 3700 plus have been noted nationwide since 1920.

“I don’t think any chiefs are running around saying we are being invaded by aliens but I think what they’re saying is these things are out there and happening, that they can be a threat especially if you have aircraft in your organization. CMPD has aircraft that we have to ensure we are safe to fly…that we are safe in the skies as well.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.