Vern Sallee

Vern Sallee is a 25 year veteran of the Chula Vista Police Department and retired as a Captain in October 2020. While at CVPD he led several technology initiatives, most notably, he founded the agency’s drone program in 2015 and led its strategies and expansion. From May 2018 until his retirement, he led the department in building the Drone as a First Responder (DFR) model under the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program.

CVPD’s DFR program is well known as one of the most innovative use cases for drones in public safety, with over 20,000 flights in support of patrol operations to date. Vern is a subject matter expert in public safety drones and has participated in public outreach and forums, public safety forums, podcasts and committees to standardize and expand the use of UAS systems.

At Axon, he serves as the Axon Air Strategist, a position which allows him to be a consultant to customers as well as guide the company’s efforts to support our customers with world-class software and systems. He has a Masters from Missouri State University and is a graduate of California Command College, Class 53 and the FBI National Academy, Class 270.