Police, fire, and search-and-rescue teams putting drones to work when minutes matter.
The City of Victorville is set to become the first contract city with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to implement a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, following a unanimous City Council vote earlier this month that approved an $832,000 three-year contract with BRINC Drones. The initiative positions the Southern California desert city at…
An experimental remote-controlled aircraft crashed near Calhan, Colorado on October 30, igniting an 83-acre wildfire that forced evacuations and highlighted the growing fire risks posed by lithium battery-powered drones in wildfire-prone regions. The 6-foot wingspan aircraft, operated by a commercial company conducting experimental aircraft testing in eastern El Paso County, crashed around 12:30 P
DJI issued its first official statement to DroneXL following the FCC’s unanimous vote earlier this week, warning that the company faces automatic addition to the agency’s Covered List in 55 days—potentially triggering retroactive bans that could affect recently released drones, such as the DJI Mini 5 Pro. The statement from Adam Welsh, Head of Global…
A basketball stuffed with tobacco and cellphones. Ceramic knives that slip past metal detectors. Drones equipped with deep-sea fishing release mechanisms. These are just some of the seized contraband items displayed by a groundbreaking joint task force in Kingston, Ontario—Canada’s first dedicated anti-drone smuggling operation targeting correctional facilities. After nine months of coordinated op
A California homeowner faces a staggering $300,000 fine after a city drone recorded illegal fireworks at his property on July 4th—even though he insists he wasn’t there. The case, part of a nearly $1 million drone enforcement crackdown in Stanton, raises troubling questions about warrantless aerial surveillance, constitutional protections against excessive fines, and whether property…
Wisconsin lawmakers are circulating legislation that would authorize police to shoot down drones they deem threats to public safety—a move that directly contradicts federal law making it a felony to destroy any aircraft, including drones. The bill, coauthored by Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) and Sen. Julian Bradley (R-New Berlin), would grant law enforcement unprecedented authority…
More than 200 university teams competed in military drone scenarios organized by China’s top defense leadership, revealing Beijing’s systematic campaign to recruit young talent for autonomous warfare development. The final round of China’s National Youth Intelligent Unmanned Systems Application Competition drew over 200 teams from 106 universities to Shanghai last week, according to a China…
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is investing $127 million in law enforcement surveillance technology across the state, with Monroe County receiving $24 million—the largest share of any county. Rochester Police Department plans to use $8 million of its allocation to upgrade a 20-year-old blue light camera system and purchase additional drones specifically for crowd control…
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