Drones

The department deployed the devices 1,371 times from May 2024 through Aug. 31, an analysis shows. Three neighborhoods saw them overhead most often; most were aloft 10 to 20 minutes at a time.

Mooresville, N.C., spent roughly $300,000 on drones for its police department earlier this year, purchasing two First Responder DFR drone systems from the Texas-based company, Flock Safety.

The state will partner with SkyfireAI and CAL Analytics on a two-year pilot program to develop policies and training around the use of drones by first responders, and to assess how they can improve situational awareness.

The companies Skydio and Levatas are providing tech for staff at the Red Rock Correctional Center, where AI-enhanced drones will soon look for contraband and other things not allowed in the prison yard.

Almost a year after buying a drone company, the seller of license plate readers and public safety tech wants to sell drones to retailers, hospitals and other operations. It’s not the first company to make such a move.

Starting next week, the city police department will dispatch drones on some service calls to see if response times and situational understanding improve. Their use will depend on call type, priority and distance.

Government Technology got an inside look at one Minnesota police department's drone program to see how a deadly manhunt exposed limits of its current drone tech and why they're now aspiring for a DFR model.

The federal agency wants to encourage more use of air taxis and drones, including for emergency services. The FAA is seeking proposals from state and local governments — ideas that could eventually scale.

Local governments have been deliberate in rolling out and using the unmanned devices. Transparent information, one analyst said, can help law enforcement find the “big picture” and determine if drones are worth it.

Drones, including those used by consumers, businesses and the military, accounted for a $73 billion global industry last year, some estimates show, with the market likely to more than double by 2030.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas and tech company Terbine will work together on an agentic AI system to help autonomous machines work together to improve supply chain logistics.

The township will spend $399,000 in a three-year contract with Flock Safety, enabling police to field three of the company’s Aerodome drones. They will only be used to record live events in public places.

In a 13-month pilot funded by a $265,000 state grant, the drones will be able to fly beyond the operator's line of sight to arrive at emergency scenes quickly and ahead of law enforcement officers.

The department deployed multiple drones earlier this month to monitor crowds at an outdoor music concert. It was the devices’ first appearance since a city policy governing their use was finalized.

A new official policy on drone usage for city government purposes spells out how they can be deployed, including for aerial surveillance, and how they should not be used. The City Council approved it Aug. 7.

Dubbed the Patrol Drone Program and unveiled Monday, a new initiative builds upon the police department’s previous use of drones in crash investigations over the past decade.

A proposed federal policy would create a standardized path for drones to fly beyond sight for public safety, infrastructure and delivery. A 60-day comment period gives agencies a chance to weigh in on risks and benefits.

Experts say that data generated by sail drones has been essential in the past for forecasting dangerous storms, but federal funding changes mean this program now faces cancellation.