Los Angeles
Drone Surveillance Nets $300,000 Fine For California Homeowner Who Says He “Wasn’t Even Home”
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,…
Firefighting Drone Startup Seneca Secures Record $60M to Deploy Autonomous Suppression System
California-based startup Seneca has emerged from stealth mode with $60 million in funding to deploy AI-powered autonomous firefighting drones capable of suppressing wildfires within minutes of detection. The round, believed to be the largest early-stage investment in wildfire defense technology,…
Chula Vista Ordered to Pay $500K in Legal Fees After Losing Landmark Police Drone Transparency Case
A San Diego judge has ordered the City of Chula Vista to pay over $500,000 in legal fees after losing a groundbreaking four-year legal battle over public access to police drone videos, delivering a costly lesson in transparency that could…
Wrap Technologies Launches First Drone System That Can Physically Restrain Suspects
Wrap Technologies has unveiled what it claims is the first commercially available non-lethal drone interdiction system in the United States. The DFR-X payload system, branded as the MERLIN-Interdictor, mounts the company’s BolaWrap tether technology onto drones—transforming passive observation platforms into…
Trump Administration Launches $500M Counter-Drone Program for 2026 World Cup
The Trump administration is rolling out a $500 million counter-drone security initiative ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup, providing state and local governments with funding to detect and disable unauthorized drones over stadiums and major events. The program, funded…
Gamer Crashes DJI Mini into Plane, Gets $156K Fine & Jail Time
In what might be the most expensive and boneheaded drone flight of all time, a veteran of the video game industry has been sentenced to jail time and a staggering $156,000 fine for crashing his DJI Mini 3 Pro into…
Drone News: DJI Announces Mini 5 Pro, CA Drone Pilot Sentenced, SAR Drone Shot During Flight
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. This week, we cover three important stories: DJI’s expected announcement of the Mini 5 Pro, the sentencing of a drone pilot in California for colliding with a firefighting aircraft, and a search and…
Drone Pilot Sentenced for Crashing UAV Into Firefighting Aircraft in California
A Culver City man has been sentenced for flying a drone that collided with a firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, causing significant damage and temporarily grounding the critical water-dropping plane, according to NBC LA. Peter Tripp…
Bands Boycott Spotify Over CEO’s Investment in Military Helsing Drones
In June 2025, a significant controversy emerged in the music industry when several prominent bands announced their decision to remove their music from Spotify, the world’s leading music streaming platform. The catalyst for this boycott is Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s…
Drone Fiasco in Kerr County: When Hobbyists Ground Heroes
Dear Drone pilots: Kerr County, Texas, is dealing with enough chaos. Picture this: a rescue helicopter, buzzing through the sky like a caffeinated hummingbird, is out there saving lives after catastrophic flooding turned the Guadalupe River into a raging beast.…
LAPD Expands Drone Use for Routine Emergency Calls in Pilot Program
On June 25, 2025, the Los Angeles Police Commission approved a new policy allowing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to deploy drones for routine emergency calls, marking a significant shift from their prior use in only high-risk scenarios like…
Sonoma County Faces Lawsuit Over Drone Surveillance: ACLU Calls It a “Runaway Spying Operation”
Today, three Sonoma County residents, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging that its use of drones for code enforcement violates privacy rights. The suit claims that what began as a program…