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First Responders

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

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Studio shot of a grey Autel EVO II with its gimbal camera on a plinth.
DJI

Rockbridge First Responders Embrace DJI Matrice 30T and Autel 640T

In Rockbridge, Virginia, first responders have found a new partner that does not drink coffee, does not complain about overtime, and can hover over a cornfield at midnight without blinking. The Rockbridge Regional Public Safety Communications Center has quietly built a drone program that is now reshaping how local agencies handle search and rescue, suspect…

Ole Miss Symposium Puts Drones in Crisis Response Spotlight
FAA

Ole Miss Symposium Puts Drones in Crisis Response Spotlight

In a world where minutes can redraw the map of a community, drones are no longer weekend gadgets or delivery pipe dreams. They are becoming airborne lifelines. On March 2, the University of Mississippi will host its second Unmanned Aircraft System Symposium, organized by the Center for Air and Space Law. The event, titled “Unleashing…

DJI Matrice 4TD Drones Tested Over Moree
DJI

DJI Matrice 4TD Drones Tested Over Moree

Police in regional Australia are about to test a capability that feels like a preview of where public safety aviation is heading. In Moree, NSW Police are deploying DJI Matrice 4TD aircraft as part of a six month trial that allows officers in Sydney to remotely pilot drones operating more than 600 kilometers away, as…

London Fights iPhone Gangs With DJI Drones
DJI

London Fights iPhone Gangs With DJI Drones

London’s phone theft crisis has mutated into something colder and more organized. Gangs are recruiting children on Snapchat, offering up to £380 for the latest Apple devices, and sending teenagers out on bikes before school to hunt commuters, as The Guardian reports. According to the Metropolitan Police, gangs are circulating digital “menus” listing cash rewards…

Kansas City Police Could Down Drones for World Cup
Department of Justice

Kansas City Police Could Down Drones for World Cup

Kansas City may soon get something it has never had before, local police with the legal authority to knock a drone out of the sky, as KCTV5 reports. A new bill introduced by Eric Burlison would temporarily give state and local law enforcement the power to intercept and disable unmanned aircraft during the 2026 FIFA…

Aspen Fire Department Deploys AI Firefighting Drones
Drone as First Responder

Aspen Fire Department Deploys AI Firefighting Drones

This article has been updated on Feb. 19 2026 In the mountain town of Aspen, where forests press close against homes and ski lodges, wildfire season no longer waits politely for summer. It lingers year round, prowling the tree lines. Now, the Aspen Fire Department is answering with a new kind of strike force that…

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