Police departments across the country are lining up to launch drone-as-first-responder (DFR) programs, and hundreds have cleared a necessary hurdle toward making deployment a reality, expanding aerial surveillance and data collection even in areas patrol officers typically can't reach.

As of February 2026, over 1,000 public safety agencies—including police, fire, and other emergency management agencies—had received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waivers needed to automate drone operations and launch a DFR program, according to a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release listing agencies that have obtained Part 91 waivers since the FAA streamlined and sped up the process in April 2025.

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[–] 5 points 2 days ago (1 child)

So we really are commited to the Cyberpunk 2077 any% glich-less speedrun, huh?

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  • [–] 26 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    The goal, of course, being a nationwide surveillance net so complete that every citizen is tracked from the moment they step out their front door.

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  • [–] 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

    Wouldn't be needed if we stopped the billionaires from siphoning every last cent out of our economy.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 days ago

    AHh yes, The drones are there for your protection phase. Got it. Don't trust it.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    I wonder if it's possible to train birds to attack drones

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  • [–] 4 points 3 days ago*

    At least these are better than the creepy spider drones from Minority Report.

    And instead of keeping humans in a network connected techno-pond we are trapping silicon into datacenters so take that PKD

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago

    Hoard used microwaves.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 days ago

    I wonder how those employed in law enforcement will feel once they realize boot-lickers are also replaceable.

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