An article by dronedj.com shares:
In a moment when the world’s biggest drone maker faces an uncertain future in America, one Texas border city is proving just how critical the technology has become. El Paso is using DJI’s drones not just to watch the skies, but to reshape how police, firefighters, and airport crews respond when seconds matter.
El Paso is no ordinary city. Stretching across nearly 40 miles of desert terrain and flanked by military airspace and an international border with Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez, the region presents a uniquely complex landscape for public safety. Responding to emergencies here requires coordination across police, fire, and even airport authorities — each facing different challenges, but often converging on the same incidents.
For years, traditional response models meant delays. Officers might spend 45 minutes or more gathering equipment, driving across town, and manually setting up a drone before any aerial insight could be gained. For a city that must often act fast — whether it’s responding to border incidents, downtown disturbances, or fires in remote desert stretches — that lag could be costly.
Six years ago, the El Paso Police Department (EPPD) launched its drone program with modest goals. But as benefits became obvious, the program expanded rapidly. Today, El Paso operates 22 DJI Dock stations positioned throughout the city.
These docks house public safety drones that can be launched remotely at a moment’s notice, controlled from a laptop anywhere in the city. What once took nearly an hour now takes just minutes. A drone can be in the air, streaming live footage to officers en route, well before they arrive on scene.
That intelligence is game-changing. As Sgt. Balke of EPPD puts it: “A lot of bad things can happen in two minutes.” By letting drones handle noise complaints or house party calls, officers can be freed up and dispatched to higher-priority emergencies, arriving faster and with more clarity about what they’re walking into.
Soaring to new heights, together.
Be sure to visit the BWU Technology Partnerships Initiative website to learn more about how our NEOFIX program drives economic growth, promotes policy and infrastructure to improve drone safety and efficiency in various industries, and ensures that drone technology is being used responsibly.