U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it requested sweeping restrictions on drone usage within the Chicago area because of a “credible threat of small, unmanned aircraft systems being used against law enforcement.”

CBP did not respond to a question about what the threat was, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois blasted the restrictions, saying they “limit the ability of the public and the media to monitor and demand accountability for their actions.”

The drone restrictions, which cover a 15-nautical-mile radius centered on downtown Chicago that spans from Winnetka to Riverdale, are effective until Oct. 12. The ban was put in place suddenly Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA said it implemented the restrictions — unusual in both their geographic and

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