Drones

Drones and aircraft were key in Minnesota's largest manhunt, helping capture an armed and dangerous man without further violence, reflecting a broader trend of law enforcement's growing reliance on aviation technology.

The City Council in San Rafael voted unanimously this month to renew the San Rafael Police Department's military equipment use policy, which included introducing a new drone program.

New executive orders seek to boost the use of drones in public safety, mandate the use of AI to speed up the drone waiver process and provide funding opportunities to boost anti-drone tech access.

The city is calling for tech companies to send proposals for such a program, via a request for qualifications. In it, officials suggest drones might be first on scene to 911 calls, better informing emergency crews.

The project, which this month has simulated delivery of Munson Healthcare supplies, lab samples and medications, has linked its facilities by drone. The endeavor received a second $950,000 state grant, announced earlier this week.

Texas-based startup Campus Guardian Angel hires professional drone racers, military veterans and former law enforcement officers to combat school shooters with on-campus drones piloted from a surveillance hub in Austin.

This fall, Washtenaw Intermediate School District in Michigan will use state funds to expand career and technical education, particularly drone aviation, as well as mechatronics and construction engineering.

The sheriff's office has five drones in use that have cut rescue times for people in peril from hours down to minutes. The devices are shared with other first responders across the Western Michigan county.

A state grant helped pay for the purchase of a drone. It is expected to be of assistance during search and recue operations, looking for hot spots during brush fires, and in helping warn fishermen.

As companies look to deploy drones to deliver goods to consumers, one obstacle to wider use has been concern over possible midair drone-to-drone collisions. A new system could change that.

The Drone814 initiative in the greater Johnstown, Pa., area will use drones to deliver supplies like defibrillators and EpiPens to local emergency scenes. The trials will compare the drones' speed to that of an ambulance.

Public safety agencies are using drones to provide up-to-the-minute overhead coverage for officers on the ground. Police in Dunwoody, Ga., have used them to track suspects and find incident locations.

Legislation headed to the state Senate floor would let police statewide use drones to respond to 911 calls in progress, at crash scenes ahead of arriving officers and to chase fleeing suspects.

BRINC and SkySafe will work with the tech giant to provide better drone operations for first responders, reflecting a larger trend in government. BRINC also says it has raised $75 million in a new funding round.

Drones are quickly taking on more roles in law enforcement, disaster management and other tasks. Their latest role is arriving at emergency situations before humans do, collecting information for police.

WaveAerospace is building drones to fly in weather that others cannot, including heavy winds, precipitation or even icing conditions by redistributing waste heat produced by onboard systems.

In the Carolinas, ICF drones have conducted rapid damage assessments in a 100-mile zone following Hurricane Helene as part of a geospatial initiative to speed up federal recovery funding requests.

The Oceanside Police Department has been offered grant money for a 13-month trial of new first responder drones that can soar from a downtown rooftop within seconds of a 911 call.