When Blake Resnick founded BRINC Drones in 2019, he carried with him the weight of tragedy. The 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting—the deadliest in American history—had unfolded in his hometown, leaving 58 people dead and a young engineer asking a question that would define his career: what if technology could have helped first responders act faster, see more clearly, and protect the vulnerable before harm arrived?
Seven years later, the answer to that question played out across multiple undercover operations in Michigan. The Taylor Police Department, armed with BRINC Responder drones, conducted a series of stings targeting individuals attempting to exploit children online. By the end of 2025, 14 child predators had been arrested, with several pleading guilty to their crimes.
For Resnick, who built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents’ garage at 14 and grew BRINC Drones into one of America’s largest domestic drone manufacturers, the Taylor Police Department’s success represents proof that the mission he set out on—building technology in the service of public safety—is working exactly as intended.
From Las Vegas to Michigan: A Mission Takes Shape
The path from tragedy to innovation began with a cold call. After the Las Vegas shooting, Blake Resnick reached out to the Las Vegas Police Department’s SWAT commander to understand the challenges officers faced in dangerous situations. Those conversations revealed a critical gap: first responders often had no way to see what they were walking into until they were physically on scene.
Resnick’s solution was the LEMUR drone, designed for tactical operations—capable of navigating indoor spaces, breaking through windows, and providing real-time video feeds. That initial focus evolved into the Drone as First Responder concept, where drones could be dispatched automatically to 911 calls, arriving on scene in under 70 seconds.
Today, more than 700 public safety agencies work with BRINC on implementing DFR programs, and over 10% of SWAT teams in the United States rely on BRINC technology. Growth accelerated dramatically in 2025 when Motorola Solutions formed a strategic alliance with BRINC, investing as part of a $75 million funding round and integrating BRINC drones with Motorola’s 911 dispatch systems and Real-Time Crime Center software.
Eyes in the Sky: How Taylor PD Used BRINC Drones
The Taylor Police Department’s child predator operations illustrate exactly the kind of tactical advantage Resnick envisioned when he founded BRINC. The investigations began online, with undercover officers posing as minors and arranging in-person meetings with suspects. The real challenge emerged when suspects arrived at public locations—often lying about their vehicle, appearance, or intentions.
“Suspects aren’t honest,” explained Lt. Jeff Adamisin of the Taylor Police Department. “They’ll say they’re driving one thing and show up in another. We deploy the Responders so we can verify everything before officers ever make contact.”
During the stings, Taylor PD deployed BRINC Responder drones to cover all entrances of large public areas, including parks and event spaces. Flying over 150 feet overhead, the drones scanned incoming vehicles with powerful zoom capabilities, allowing officers to positively identify suspects before undercover personnel even had eyes on them. In multiple cases, suspects were confirmed and their vehicles verified while officers remained at a safe distance.
“The image quality was excellent,” Adamisin said. “We could see inside the vehicle, get the angles we needed, and confirm with certainty that this was the right person.”
That certainty translated directly into safer operations. Officers moved in knowing exactly who they were dealing with, reducing risk, avoiding misidentification, and strengthening evidence from the start. Because suspects never detected the drones overhead, Taylor PD maintained continuous oversight without escalating situations prematurely.
Silent Pursuit: When Suspects Tried to Run
In some operations, two Responder drones were flown simultaneously, locking down multiple exits. The technology proved its value when a suspect vehicle began moving away from the scene at speeds up to 45 mph.
Rather than initiating a dangerous ground pursuit, a BRINC Responder tracked the vehicle from above, documenting the entire sequence until officers could safely make a stop. The drone’s industry-leading hover time meant continuous coverage without gaps—exactly the tactical advantage Resnick envisioned when he first began collaborating with law enforcement.
“It’s a huge asset,” Adamisin noted. “We’re able to watch the target from a distance without being spotted.”
The Shift from Tool to First Responder
For Taylor Police Department, the success of these operations marked a turning point. What began as patrol support has evolved into a true Drone as First Responder model—a transformation mirroring the broader shift happening across American law enforcement.
“When our fleet is unavailable, officers started saying, ‘I wish we had a Responder right now,'” Adamisin explained. “That’s when we knew this technology had changed how we operate.”
That sentiment echoes what Resnick has long predicted about emergency response. A drone arriving on scene in under a minute can deliver Narcan to an overdose victim, provide officers with critical intelligence before they approach a dangerous situation, or, as the Taylor PD operations demonstrated, verify a suspect’s identity before any human contact occurs.
American Manufacturing in a Chinese-Dominated Market
The Taylor PD success story carries additional significance given the broader context of the American drone industry. Chinese manufacturer DJI controls approximately 90% of the global drone market, and roughly 80% of public safety drones in the United States are Chinese-made. As security concerns mount—with over a dozen states passing bills preventing agencies from acquiring Chinese drones—departments are actively seeking American alternatives.
BRINC, headquartered in Seattle with vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing, has positioned itself as that answer. The Motorola partnership provides a distribution channel that could accelerate the transition away from foreign-made drones. More than 600 public safety agencies already use BRINC products, and over 150 are moving toward city-wide 911 drone response programs.
“The fact that BRINC is U.S.-made is really compelling for us,” Todd Piett, senior vice president of Command Center Solutions at Motorola Solutions, said when discussing the partnership. For agencies concerned about data security and supply chain integrity, American manufacturing isn’t just a preference—it’s increasingly a requirement.
The Mission Continues
For Blake Resnick, the Taylor Police Department’s 14 arrests represent exactly what he hoped to achieve when he first began building drones for public safety. Not technology for its own sake, but tools that make measurable differences in protecting the vulnerable and keeping first responders safe.
From the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting to undercover operations catching child predators in Michigan, the through-line is clear: faster identification, safer arrests, stronger evidence, and dangerous individuals taken off the street. Not by chance, but by design.
BRINC has committed to never weaponizing its drones—a decision Resnick made from day one to ensure the technology is seen as a tool for saving lives rather than inflicting harm. That principle, combined with deep integration into existing emergency response infrastructure, reflects a company built on both engineering excellence and genuine commitment to public safety.
As Resnick has said when reflecting on BRINC’s impact: “Every time I hear a story about one of our drones helping resolve a dangerous situation without anyone getting hurt, or saving a life, it reinforces why we do this work.”
In Taylor, Michigan, that work helped put 14 child predators behind bars. The vision that began in the shadow of tragedy has come full circle.
