diff --git a/server/index.js b/server/index.js
index d40e4f6..deda118 100644
--- a/server/index.js
+++ b/server/index.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ async function startServer() {
     // Always sync database in containerized environments or development
     // Check if tables exist before syncing
     try {
-      await sequelize.sync({ alter: true });
+      await sequelize.sync({ force: false, alter: false });
       console.log('Database synchronized.');
       
       // Seed database with initial data
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ async function startServer() {
       console.error('Database sync error:', syncError);
       // If sync fails, try force sync (this will drop and recreate tables)
       console.log('Attempting force sync...');
-      await sequelize.sync({ force: false, alter: true });
+      await sequelize.sync({ force: true });
       console.log('Database force synchronized.');
       
       // Seed database with initial data
diff --git a/server/models/DroneDetection.js b/server/models/DroneDetection.js
index 500a523..1bc1ea2 100644
--- a/server/models/DroneDetection.js
+++ b/server/models/DroneDetection.js
@@ -74,8 +74,11 @@ module.exports = (sequelize) => {
       comment: 'Whether this detection has been processed for alerts'
     },
     threat_level: {
-      type: DataTypes.ENUM('monitoring', 'low', 'medium', 'high', 'critical'),
+      type: DataTypes.STRING,
       allowNull: true,
+      validate: {
+        isIn: [['monitoring', 'low', 'medium', 'high', 'critical']]
+      },
       comment: 'Assessed threat level based on RSSI and drone type'
     },
     estimated_distance: {