Enhancing Patrol Operations with Patrol-Led Drone as First Responder

William "Fritz" Reber retired as a Police Captain after 27 years of service with Chula Vista Police Department. After his retirement he worked with public safety and service providers related to UAS operations. He (with Kabe Termes) was the visionary behind Drone as First Responder (DFR) Operations and Live911, author of CVPD's Concept of Operations IPP submission, and co-authored the CVPD BVLOS waiver. This was the first FAA Beyond Visual Line of Sight waiver for any public safety agency operating in an urban environment in the nation). He and his Skydio Team, in partnership with CVPD and the San Diego IPP Team wrote the safety case for and obtained the groundbreaking Tactical BVLOS waiver. This enabled Close Proximity, Low Altitude (CPLA) operations for Public Safety Agencies and others to safely fly BVLOS during ground based tactical deployments.

Fritz remains a part of the San Diego City IPP Team, is a DRONERESPONDERS Technical Expert (TEP), and he continues to work closely with CVPD and public safety agencies everywhere on the integration of Skydio 2 into everyday police operations. He is the visionary and co-inventor w/Higherground, of Live911.

Live911 is a revolutionary software tool that allows first responders to hear in real time the actual audio of the incoming 911 call. It has been integrated with RapidSOs and provides a map UI for first responders who can hear the call and see the exact caller location instantly while in the field. Never before has public safety had such real-time situational awareness sent to the front lines without any time delay or data decay.

Head of Public Safety Integration at Skydio:

Fritz works to show Public Safety Agencies the value of a drone that is designed not to crash. The transformational object avoidance technology of Skydio means that more people can utilize the power of a UAS to provide situational awareness and decision quality data to first responders in the field. The feedback and input he gets from end-users is used in product improvements and development with the goal to help make Skydio the best drone company in the world.

Noreen Charlton leads public safety strategy at Skydio, helping law enforcement agencies build and scale Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs that fundamentally change how they respond to emergencies.

She brings over a decade of experience with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigations Section, responding to nearly 4,000 incidents, including the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass casualty event. Working at the intersection of tragedy and accountability reinforced her belief that faster access to reliable information helps agencies make better decisions and protect lives.

At Skydio, Noreen translates operational experience into practical strategy. She develops guidance and resources that help agencies understand the value of DFR, navigate implementation, build internal and community support, and create programs that can grow responsibly over time.

She also serves on the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board for Crime Scene Investigations, where she contributes to the development of national standards for forensic documentation and analysis.

Aaron Begle serves as the west coast Sr. Solutions Engineer for the state, local, and education team at Skydio. Aaron has been with Skydio for 2-years assisting with large police agencies, universities, DOTs, and electric utility companies. Prior to joining Skydio, Aaron accumulated over 1,500-hours flying unmanned aircraft systems for utility inspections and Dept. of Defense research projects. Aaron is a private pilot and veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard.