Drones

The program would involve sending drones out on 911 calls ahead or instead of police officers and would require a new technology contract. One result so far has been a saved life.

The City Council voted 5-1 to accept a nearly $21,000 state grant to purchase a drone for police. Vice Mayor Curt Diemer, the lone vote against, urged the city to take a serious look at “shrinking liberty.”

The world’s biggest sporting event, set for the U.S., Canada and Mexico, is months away, and that means gov tech suppliers are preparing to make sure everyone stays safe. Drones are a main area of concern.

A police official said that Flock Safety is providing one drone on loan for the town police force to try out, and they intend to start using it to get aerial coverage of Lewiston’s summer events.

Engineers and veterinarians at the University of California, Davis converted a metal barn into a research facility, where rows of infrared cameras record birds of prey in motion to help inform drone designs.

The White House is expected to give the New York Police Department the authority to ground unauthorized drones around major events. The department also plans to roll out a new 311 dispatch system.

The Santa Ana Police Department is proposing to spend about $683,000 on a contract to launch the city’s drone program, pending approval from the City Council.

A bipartisan package of proposed laws would bar drone operators from overflying state-owned property and “critical infrastructure.” The state would also have to develop an app for pilots.

A donation of more than $400,000 enabled the county police department to add two new drones to its fleet of seven. Among residents, however, concerns over being surveilled persist.

Entities including an uncrewed aviation company are exploring use cases. Organizers indicate the city’s proximity to training and National Guard drone operations make it a good fit.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office on Monday arrested the man after he reportedly stole a vehicle from a business in east Fort Collins, set it on fire and damaged nearby agricultural land.

The local police department recently unveiled a new rooftop drone port at headquarters. The agency fielded approximately 10,000 drone flights in 2025 and expects about twice as many this year.

While the city has used drones before, Chief Roderick Porter said the two new aerial vehicles the department is getting under a contract with security tech company Flock Safety are more advanced.

City public safety officials plan to assess drones from a variety of companies this winter and spring, and subsequently ask the city council to approve funding for a lease agreement. The cost of a program is unclear.

Michigan Central in Detroit is quickly becoming a center for air and ground mobility innovation. The state Advanced Air Mobility Initiative, announced in July, aims to stimulate drone development.

A new partnership with drone delivery company Wing and retail giant Walmart aims to have a residential drone delivery service take to the Central Florida airways by early 2026.

Drones can enhance emergency response, but they’re only one part of the public safety toolkit, ideally making the jobs of the officers and first responders safer and more efficient.

The City Council last week approved the contract with Seattle-based BRINC Drones to provide one drone, a launch platform and software for a new drone-as-a-first responder program.