Police

Drone-as-first-responder programs, pursuit footage, evidence policy, and the departments putting UAS on patrol.

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Aug 10

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White fixed-wing AVSS drone banking above a turquoise glacial lake in a snow-capped mountain valley

Police · Police

ThinkOn And AVSS Put Canadian Drone Data On Canadian Soil, Off The Hyperscalers

ThinkOn and AVSS are hosting TAK on Canadian sovereign cloud, with live drone video piped in. The data residency case is real. The 'until now' is not.

Haye KestelooAug 104 min read

La Vista Police Department drone, as more than 1,000 agencies gain FAA clearance for Drone as First Responder flights

DFR

FAA Cleared Over 1,000 Agencies for Drone First Responder Flights in 10 Months, and the Full List Is Now Public

A FOIA release names 1,000+ agencies the FAA cleared for drone first responder flights in 10 months, more than in the previous seven years combined.

Haye KestelooAug 7

Overhead black-and-white view of a DJI Phantom quadcopter surrounded by folding DJI Mavic drones and other multirotors arranged on a white surface

Police

Newberg Police Fly Drones Where K-9s Used To Go

Newberg-Dundee police and Yamhill County deputies have flown drones since 2022 — a 10-aircraft combined DJI fleet that clears buildings ahead of officers and ends foot pursuits with thermal at 400 feet. No ribbon cuttings, no controversy, just standard equipment.

Rafael SuárezAug 6

Police

NSW PolAir Remote Drone Finds Hidden Woman In Moree

A PolAir Remote drone flown from Bankstown Airport — 300 miles away — spotted a woman leaving a shed during a welfare check in Moree, leading to her arrest for breaching a domestic violence order. Australia's first remotely piloted police drone trial keeps converting flights into arrests.

Rafael SuárezAug 6

Aerial drone view of two suspects moving property beside a white work truck in a parking lot, with the Santa Ana Police Department watermark.

Skydio

Santa Ana Police Drone Catches Truck Thieves Mid-Theft

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.

Rafael SuárezAug 6

Police

O'Fallon Police Flock Drone Ends Manhunt In 15 Minutes

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.

Rafael SuárezAug 6

Skydio

Skydio And CentralSquare Wire DFR Into Police Dispatch

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.

Rafael SuárezAug 5

Thermal drone image showing the heat signature of a missing hiker against the cool forest terrain near Breitenfurt, Austria

Search & Rescue

Vienna Police Drone Finds Missing Hiker In 75 Minutes

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.

Rafael SuárezAug 4

Police

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