Coordinated From Above: How El Paso Uses DJI Docks for Citywide Emergency Response and More

DJI's FlightHub 2 On-Premise set a new standard for data security in the United States' first citywide Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program.

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DJI, the global leader in civil drones and creative camera technology, today published a new DJI Enterprise case study demonstrating how DJI Docks integrated with FlightHub 2 On-Premises has transformed El Paso's citywide Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program for managing emergencies and coordinating across the city's police, fire and even airport operations. This cross-agency collaboration has helped to streamline operations, reduce costs, and deliver better outcomes for residents.

The El Paso Police Department (EPPD) launched its drone program six years ago to enhance public safety operations across the city. As the benefits became clear - and requests from other agencies grew - the program quickly expanded. Today, El Paso operates 22 DJI Docks citywide. With the integration of FlightHub 2 On-Premises, El Paso has transformed how it manages emergencies and coordinates across departments.

"Incorporating these technologies is giving us better officer safety, better emergency response time to our citizens. And when it comes together, there's just no doubt that this is the way to go, says Sgt Cory Balke of the El Paso Police Department, Homeland Security and Intelligence.

Unlocking Speed, Reach, and Awareness

Before adopting DJI Docks, drone operations required manual setup and often took significant time, especially after hours. Response times could stretch to 45 minutes or longer, with officers retrieving gear, driving across town, and setting up equipment on site. Now, with DJI Docks, that same response can be triggered from a laptop anywhere, reducing response time from an hour to mere minutes.

With drones pre-positioned across the city, teams can launch remotely to gather aerial intelligence and share live feeds with responders en route. That situational awareness helps public safety officers arrive on scene with more clarity, improving safety, coordination, and response times when seconds count. Moreover, drones are also allowing first responders to focus on higher-priority calls instead of noise disturbances or house parties. This means EPPD can get an officer to a priority call two minutes faster while a drone clears the other call.

FlightHub 2 On-Premises: Secure, Scalable, and Mission-Ready

In El Paso's sensitive airspace and international border zone, secure data management isn't optional - it's mission-critical. With FlightHub 2 On-Premises, deployed under AWS GovCloud with support from its trusted technology partner Technicalis, El Paso has gained greater command over drone operations while meeting evolving information security requirements.

"FlightHub 2 On-Premises gives us the ability to provide aerial support throughout the city, keeping it safe and secure for our community and for our guests," says Willie Paris, Assistant Director of Aviation – Operations & Security, El Paso International Airport

With this robust, self-hosted drone management solution, agencies can plan and execute drone missions, manage fleets, and handle data collection - all within their own private servers or designated cloud environments. That means every image, coordinate, and flight log stays within their internal network. FlightHub 2's intuitive design also supports multi-operator collaboration. One pilot can fly the drone while another focuses on camera controls and data capture, making it easier for teams to gather the insights they need, fast.

Industry-Leading Privacy Controls

DJI meets the enhanced data security and privacy needs of enterprise operators through a wide range of privacy controls. Users must opt in to share photos or videos with DJI, and US-based users can no longer sync flight logs with DJI servers. For heightened data security needs, Local Data Mode can sever the app's  Internet connection. Learn more:  DJI Trust Center.

About DJI

Since 2006, DJI has led the world with civilian drone innovations that have empowered individuals to take flight for the first time, visionaries to turn their imagination into reality, and professionals to transform their work entirely. Today, DJI serves to build a better world by continuously promoting human advancement. With a solution-oriented mindset and genuine curiosity, DJI has expanded its ambitions into areas such as cycling, renewable energy, agriculture, public safety, surveying and mapping, and infrastructure inspection. In every application, DJI products deliver experiences that add value to lives around the world in more profound ways than ever before.

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SOURCE DJI