Building and Maintaining a Large-Scale Public Safety Drone Program

The Texas Department of Public Safety has one of the most active UAS programs in the U.S. with over 120,000 flights flown since 2017. However, building and maintaining such an active program has unique challenges that need to be considered and addressed. This presentation will cover the building and implementing of the following topics: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) training program, maintenance program, safety management system, C-UAS policy and enforcing drone laws, transparency, public engagement, program budget and operational considerations.