City’s DFR program financed by asset forfeiture funds By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Images: Jim Magill When the city of Conroe, Texas was considering establishing a Drones as First Responders (DFR) program, cost was a major issue. The city’s leaders solved that problem by arranging to have the bad guys pay for the program. In a recent press conference announcing … [Read more...] about Conroe Police Launch DFR Program Funded by Criminal Asset Seizures
drone docks
Urban UAV Operations Need More than Drones
Cloud Century has implemented more than 200 drone docks in China, learning what urban drone operations require. In this guest post, Cloud Century’s Meng Xu says the future low-altitude economy depends on infrastructure, autonomous operations, drone docks, and AI-assisted operational intelligence. DRONELIFE does not accept or make payment for guest posts. Urban UAV Operations … [Read more...] about Urban UAV Operations Need More than Drones
Kansas City Police Move Forward With DJI For DFR Program Expansion
By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has continued to expand its current drones as first responders (DFR) program, despite concerns that its use of drones and equipment made by Chinese company DJI could raise security issues. In January Chief Stacey Graves Police created a specialized DFR unit, with four officers who are … [Read more...] about Kansas City Police Move Forward With DJI For DFR Program Expansion
Drones as City Infrastructure: AXON, Skydio, and the Next Leap for Drone in a Box Technology
Nearly 2,000 public safety professionals gathered in Phoenix for AXON Week 2025, where the conversation focused on the future of drones—not just as emergency tools, but as essential city infrastructure. AXON, a global leader in public safety technology, highlighted its Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs and the expanded capabilities brought by its 2024 acquisition of … [Read more...] about Drones as City Infrastructure: AXON, Skydio, and the Next Leap for Drone in a Box Technology
What Automation Really Looks Like: BNSF Railway on Drone Docks, Inventory Management and More: From the Floor of DDC 23
At the annual DroneDeploy user conference in Denver, an inside look at one of DroneDeploy's 3 pillars of development: automation. Nick Dryer, Field Operations Manager of the UAS Program at BNSF Railway provides an inside look at their automated drone operations for inventory management and more. Railway logistics sites and intermodal facilities are complex pieces of the … [Read more...] about What Automation Really Looks Like: BNSF Railway on Drone Docks, Inventory Management and More: From the Floor of DDC 23
