An American teenager's response to tragedy is now challenging a global monopoly—and reshaping public safety in the process.
China owns the global drone industry. That's not hyperbole—it's the stark reality facing American public safety agencies today. According to Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of Seattle-based BRINC Drones, DJI, the Shenzhen-based drone manufacturer, controls approximately 90% of the worldwide market. Their nearest competitor holds just 5%. The math is sobering: the free world cumulatively controls maybe 5% of drone production.
The implications for American public safety are significant. Currently, 80% of U.S. public safety organizations rely on drones manufactured in China. Only 7% use drones made by BRINC, the American company Resnick founded to challenge this dominance. But that gap is beginning to close, driven by a combination of national security concerns, state-level legislation, and Resnick's relentless focus on building technology purpose-built for emergency response.
A Tragedy Becomes a Mission
The story of BRINC begins in Las Vegas in 2017. The mass shooting that year—the deadliest in U.S. history—struck close to home for Resnick, who was born in the year 2000 and was just a teenager when the tragedy unfolded. The event became the catalyst for everything that followed.
Resnick cold-called the commander of the Las Vegas Police Department's SWAT team, asking a question that would shape his future: how could technology have helped first responders neutralize the threat faster? The conversations that followed revealed critical gaps in how law enforcement approached dangerous situations—gaps that existing drone technology wasn't designed to address.
What makes Resnick's journey even more remarkable is the path he took to get there. He enrolled in college at just 14 years old, demonstrating exceptional aptitude despite having dyslexia. But traditional education felt like an indirect path toward what he wanted to achieve. He dropped out, channeling his engineering skills into building something that could make a real difference.
Purpose-Built for the Mission
BRINC's flagship LEMUR drone isn't trying to compete with consumer drones—it's built for an entirely different mission. The aircraft is designed specifically for SWAT teams, capable of taking off from an armored vehicle and flying directly to a target structure where a suspect may be armed and dangerous.
The drone's capabilities reflect the specific demands of tactical operations. A glass breaching attachment allows it to shatter windows, giving the indoor-capable drone a way to enter structures. Once inside, the aircraft uses LiDAR technology to draw floor plans in real time as it navigates, providing officers with critical situational awareness before they ever set foot in a building.
This focus on practical, mission-specific features extends across BRINC's product line. The company's Drone as First Responder solution enables drones to reach 911 calls in under 70 seconds, cutting response times by 54% and resolving up to 25% of calls without dispatching officers at all. For departments struggling with staffing shortages and strained budgets, this represents a fundamental shift in how resources can be deployed.
The Security Question
The dominance of Chinese drones in American public safety raises questions that extend beyond price competition. DJI has received billions of dollars in direct investment from the Chinese government, enabling them to undercut competitors on cost. But the subsidy question is only part of the concern.
About a dozen states have already passed legislation preventing their public safety agencies from acquiring Chinese-made drones. In the remaining states, police and fire departments remain free to purchase from any manufacturer—and price often drives decisions toward the cheaper Chinese options.
BRINC manufactures its products in the United States, with co-located R&D and production facilities in Seattle. The company is vertically integrated, controlling its entire supply chain—a stark contrast to the globalized manufacturing that characterizes most consumer electronics. For agencies with concerns about where their equipment originates and where their data flows, this American-made approach offers a clear alternative.
Strategic Partnerships Accelerate Growth
BRINC's recent $75 million funding round, led by Index Ventures with significant participation from Motorola Solutions, signals the scale of ambition behind the company's growth plans. The strategic alliance with Motorola Solutions integrates BRINC's drones with established public safety infrastructure—APX radios, VESTA 911 call management software, Computer-Aided Dispatch systems, and Real-Time Crime Center software.
The integration enables new capabilities: an officer or firefighter pushing the emergency button on their Motorola radio can now trigger a BRINC drone to launch from a rooftop charging station and fly directly to their location. When someone calls 911, the system can grab GPS coordinates and dispatch a drone automatically, providing eyes on the scene before responders arrive.
More than 700 public safety agencies worldwide are now working with BRINC on implementing drone programs. Over 10% of SWAT teams in the United States rely on BRINC technology. The company's drones have been deployed in high-profile operations including the Surfside condominium collapse and earthquake response efforts in Turkey.
The Road Ahead
Resnick's vision extends far beyond capturing market share from DJI. He sees a future where drone recharging stations sit atop the 80,000 police and fire stations across America, fundamentally transforming how emergency response works. Currently, fewer than 100 buildings have this capability. The gap between current reality and that vision represents both the challenge and the opportunity.
Recent regulatory changes have accelerated adoption. Beyond Visual Line of Sight waivers, which allow drones to operate without visual observers, are now being approved in roughly two weeks—far faster than the months-long process of the past. This shift removes one of the major barriers that previously limited drone program growth.
For Blake Resnick, the mission hasn't changed since those first conversations with Las Vegas SWAT commanders. BRINC exists to build technology in the service of public safety—tools that protect both the responders and the communities they serve. The fact that this mission also challenges Chinese drone dominance is a consequence of building the right product for the right purpose.
As Resnick puts it, his message isn't that college is wrong for everyone—just that he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and had the engineering skills to make it happen. The drones now flying over American cities are proof that sometimes the indirect path isn't the right one.
