Did El Paso Forget To Tell Ft. Bliss About Police Drones?

The city of El Paso recently announced that the El Paso Police Department has a drone squad to answer calls. They may have forgotten to notify Fort Bliss though.

EPPD announced that it has 22 drone docking stations around El Paso and that we're the first city in the USA to receive a "Class C airspace beyond a visual line of sight".

Fort Bliss says they didn't get the memo and have some security concerns about the program.

EPPD has apparently been using drones here and there for the last 5 years or so and now have "docks" all over the city from which drones can launch to answer calls for help or otherwise help officers on the ground.

What's The Problem?

The fact that the drones are operated by a Chinese company, (DJI), raised a few eyebrows but airport officials said that there's no security risk because the program operates on its own network which is supported by AWS GovCloud.

READ MORE: EPPD's "Air Force"

Meanwhile, federal agencies are barred by law from using DJI drones in any manner because of security risks. Some of El Paso's drones are used by, (and about half the pilots flying them work at), the El Paso International Airport. Not a federal agency but it is overseen by one - the FAA.

Fort Bliss Wasn't Told

Fort Bliss does see a security issue though and says they were never told about the program.

In a statement sent to ABC-7, Maj. William McGehee, deputy public affairs officer for the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss said, "Fort Bliss was not made aware in advance of the City of El Paso’s use of foreign-manufactured drones around or near the installation. The installation takes all potential security concerns seriously and is assessing any potential risks associated with unmanned aerial systems operating in close proximity to the base. - KVIA 

El Paso Says Fort Bliss Knew

"The City of El Paso has maintained communication with Fort Bliss regarding matters of mutual concern, including the use of technology to support public safety," said city spokesperson Laura Cruz-Acosta in a statement to ABC-7. -KVIA