
Veteran DFR Operator’s 10,000-Flight Reality Check: Stop Panicking About The FCC Ban
Luis Figueiredo's 10,000 DFR flights with DJI Dock and M350 prove existing equipment works. His advice to agencies panicking after FCC ban: buy what works.
Drone-as-first-responder programs, pursuit footage, evidence policy, and the departments putting UAS on patrol.

Luis Figueiredo's 10,000 DFR flights with DJI Dock and M350 prove existing equipment works. His advice to agencies panicking after FCC ban: buy what works.

The Baton Rouge Police Department has added a new aircraft to its growing drone unit, and this one immediately stands apart from the rest of the fleet. Unveiled this week, the Edge Autonomy Stalker VXE30 is significantly larger than any of the other thirty drones currently operated by the department, with a wingspan that stretches…

Just five days ago, we reported on Bridgeport, Connecticut officially launching its Drone as First Responder program with Flock Safety. Mayor Joe Ganim was demonstrating the drones on rooftops. Police Chief Roderick Porter was calling it “re-imagining policing.” Council President Jeanette Herron was praising the technology as a “major step forward.“ That program is now…

Tampa Police are stepping into a future where training does not begin on the street but inside a headset, surrounded by pixels that behave like pressure, noise, and uncertainty, as 10 Tampa Bay reports. Thanks to federal funding, officers and recruits now train with virtual reality simulations that recreate real world encounters where decisions matter…

When a small Massachusetts town with 100 miles of hiking trails and seven bodies of water decides to build a drone program, the smart money says they’ll do it right or not at all. The Ashburnham Police Department chose to do it right, spending two years developing their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drone Unit before taking…

After months of tracking the administration’s counter-drone buildup, the bureaucratic shoe finally dropped. The Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday the creation of a new Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-UAS, a permanent office that will outlast both the World Cup and whatever administration comes next. The headlines are focusing on the…

South Korea has launched a joint military-police investigation into allegations that drones originating from the South entered North Korean airspace, as Seoul moves quickly to contain tensions and distance the incident from any official military operation, according to Reuters. The Ministry of National Defense confirmed Monday that the probe is already underway, following accusations from…

By early summer, Cleveland Metroparks will begin testing public safety drones along its eight lakefront properties, with one clear priority in mind: water rescues where seconds matter. The parks system has partnered with BRINC to trial two Drone as First Responder units at no cost for one year, giving the department time to see whether…
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