Connecticut

A woman that has chosen to stay anonymous has given the Putnam and East Putnam fire departments in Connecticut $4500 to spend on drone technology. The woman’s generous gift allowed the fire departments to purchase brand new thermal drones.

In Enfield, Connecticut, police used a drone to find a blind man who had walked away from home and became disoriented. The police said they were contacted by a family member of the man on Saturday morning around 8:45 am. Family members told the police that they were unable to make contact with the man which was uncommon.

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It seems that the letter that was sent by Chris Murphy, the Junior Senator from Connecticut on May 7th, has led to the Department of Defense (DoD) banning the purchase of commercial-over-the-shelf UAS, including DJI drones for most (if not all) departments. The ban went into effect immediately (as of May 23rd, 2018.

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On May 7th, Chris Murphy, the Junior Senator from Connecticut had sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, expressing his concerns over an additional purchase of 16 DJI drones in addition to the hundreds of DJI’s drones already purchased by U.S. government agencies and the Department of Defense. In his letter, Murphy mentions that at least three separate agencies have found that the commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from the Chinese drone manufacturer pose a potential national security threat. He urges the DoD to cut Chinese drone-maker DJI out of its business and suggests that the department works with domestic drone makers instead, even if they may require some assistance. A source close to the matter has indicated that the DoD has stopped using DJI as of May 24th as a result of Murphy’s letter.

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