Sgt. J. Matt Rowland (Retired) served with the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) for more than 21 years. Including his time as a reserve officer and public safety dispatcher, Matt dedicated more than 26 years to public safety before retiring in July 2026.
During his career with FWPD, Matt spent his first 15 years in the Operations Division, including six years as a hostage negotiator. He later served more than five years as a full-time member of the Air Support Unit. Matt was an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) certified instructor in both classroom instruction and emergency vehicle operations.
Matt was a founding member of the FWPD drone team and has held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2017 and has accumulated several hundred flight hours across multiple unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms and software applications. Since 2018, he has specialized in using drones to map motor vehicle crashes and outdoor crime scenes.
In 2021, Matt played a key role in implementing the Fort Wayne Police Department’s Drone First Responder (DFR) program. He is certified through the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) as both a NIST Basic and Advanced UAS Proctor. In 2025, he received the DroneResponders Eric Talley Public Safety UAS Excellence Award in recognition of his contributions to public safety aviation.
Throughout his time with FWPD, Matt remained active in community outreach, helping plan and coordinate more than 350 public demonstrations and educational events involving the Air Support Unit since 2018. He also serves as Second Vice President of Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Wayne Lodge 14.
Matt is an instructor with Unmanned Tactical Group (UTG) and is a Pix4D Certified Instructor.
He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Communications, with an emphasis in television production.
Following his retirement from law enforcement, Matt joined the private sector full-time as a Product Training Specialist in the public safety drone industry.