DEALS

First Responders

Police, fire, and search-and-rescue teams putting drones to work when minutes matter.

1,531
Articles
112
Beats covered
10
Reporters on beat
Sep 14
Last updated
Georgia Bets $550K on Drones to Stop School Shooters
Police

Georgia Bets $550K on Drones to Stop School Shooters

Five Georgia high schools will soon keep drones waiting on charging pads, ready to fly at an attacker before police can reach the building. The state set aside $550,000 to test the idea this fall. The drones are piloted by people at a company in Texas, and they carry pepper spray, sirens, and strobes, not…

Munich Airport Shut Down By Drones, Again
Police

Munich Airport Shut Down By Drones, Again

Munich Airport went dark again on Saturday morning. Shortly after 9 a.m. local time, two pilots reported a possible drone near the airfield, and German air traffic control shut the runways down cold. Flights resumed about an hour later, but the day was already wrecked: 33 cancellations and 114 delays rolling well into the afternoon.…

Minneapolis Studies DFR Pilot in North Minneapolis
DJI

Minneapolis Studies DFR Pilot in North Minneapolis

The Minneapolis Police Department presented an exploratory proposal to the city council’s Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee in May 2026 to launch a Drones as First Responders pilot program. The pilot would deploy two drones, marked as police vehicles with red and blue lights, out of Fire Station 14 in the Fourth Precinct on…

Palm Desert Eyes Police DJI Drones Amid Privacy Questions
DJI

Palm Desert Eyes Police DJI Drones Amid Privacy Questions

Palm Desert is the latest Coachella Valley community where police drones are moving from “something other cities do” to “something coming here,” and a local NBC Palm Springs commentary framed the arrival with the question every city eventually has to answer: smart safety tool, or one more eye in the sky? That’s the right question,…

Palm Beach Fire Rescue Adds Drones for Hurricane Season
First Responders

Palm Beach Fire Rescue Adds Drones for Hurricane Season

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue announced this week that it has stood up a dedicated drone fleet for disaster response, with hurricane season starting June 1, 2026. The agency is flying the Skydio X10, the American-made autonomous platform that has become the default choice for public safety agencies operating under Florida’s restrictions on Chinese-manufactured drones.…

Basalt PD Pitches $50K Drone Stations to Council
Drone as First Responder

Basalt PD Pitches $50K Drone Stations to Council

Basalt, Colorado is the latest mountain town to look at the Drone-as-First-Responder model, and the price tag they’re putting on the table tells you exactly where this category has settled. Chief Aaron Munch presented to the Basalt Town Council on May 27, 2026, asking them to consider roughly $50,000 per drone and docking station, plus…

— The DroneXL Briefing · Free

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.

One email with the drone news that matters — DJI, FAA, public safety, and everything in between, straight from the newsroom. No spam, no fluff.

8,400+
Articles published
340+
Beats & desks
2020
Covering drones since
100%
Independent