Drone-as-first-responder programs, pursuit footage, evidence policy, and the departments putting UAS on patrol.
Santa Ana PD's Eagle 1 drone found a stolen work truck minutes after patrol lost it, watched two suspects load stolen tools, and guided officers straight to them — the first felony arrests of the $682,900 DFR program a divided council approved 4-3 in February.
O'Fallon, Missouri police used a Flock DFR drone to track a fleeing suspect into a storm sewer and guide officers to the exit — search, track, and arrest in under 15 minutes. The two-month-old program has already assisted in 12 felony arrests.
Skydio and CentralSquare announced a partnership on August 3 that builds Drone as First Responder operations natively into CentralSquare's computer-aided dispatch software, moving the drone launch button onto the screen every 911 dispatcher already watches.
A Lower Austria police drone with a thermal camera located a missing 47-year-old hiker near Breitenfurt just 75 minutes after his sister's call — the heat signature glowing against the cool forest night.
NYPD drones have tracked seven sharks off New York City beaches in 2026 while Rockaway Beach logged 45 shark-related closures, up from 24 at the same point last summer.
An NYPD drone spotted six people riding atop a moving B train in Brooklyn, tracked them from the air, and guided officers to arrest five teenagers. Police also recovered six stolen MTA keys from a 14-year-old suspect.
An Ocean County sheriff's drone dropped a Restube flotation device to a young swimmer caught in a rip current off Surf City after lifeguards had gone home for the day.
Spokane police say four Skydio X10 drones flew about 400 missions in three weeks, including a pursuit where the aircraft tracked suspects overhead after patrol cars backed off.
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