The El Paso Police Department, in a bid to enhance public safety and efficiency, launched a new drone response program that is touted to be the first in the nation to operate with Class C airspace beyond a visual line of sight. According to KTSM, the initiative was announced on Tuesday and involves collaboration between the EPPD, El Paso Fire Department (EPFD), and El Paso International Airport.
Embracing the potential of this technology, officials pointed out the significant advantages the drones will offer. With those high optics and thermal imaging, we can locate missing persons or people in danger much more efficiently, stated EPPD's Talamantes, alluding to the police department having bought a single drone that had to be operated within the visual line of sight of the pilot about five or six years ago, which started the evolution of the program. As KFOX-TV reports, the drones are able to rapidly generate three-dimensional models of traffic accident scenes, which could previously take over an hour, thus mitigating road closure times significantly.
The utilization of drones manufactured by DJI, a company under federal review for its China ties, was addressed by the director of aviation at El Paso International Airport. Antonio Nevarez mentioned that concerns were unfounded as the drone program is run on its own network, supported by AWS GovCloud, providing a layer of insulation from potential external threats.
Collectively, the drone program currently boasts an impressive number of certified pilots: EPPD has three, EPFD handles a squad of 16, and the airport employs 20 in various certification stages, as reported by the El Paso Times. During the catastrophic Sun Metro center fire last year, drone pilots from all three departments responded. The EPFD began utilizing two DJI Matrice Drones in mountain search and rescue operations in 2018, a financial commitment of approximately $40,000 from city funds, highlighting the progressive integration of drones within local emergency services over the years.
