J. Matt Rowland

Officer J. “Matt” Rowland is an 18-year veteran of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) located in Fort Wayne, IN. He was a founding member of the FWPD Air Support Unit (ASU) in 2017. He spent 15 years in the Operations division and served 6 years during that time as a hostage negotiator. He is a certified instructor both in the classroom and emergency vehicle driving. He’s held a small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot certificate since 2017, has several hundred flight hours on multiple drone platforms. He has been mapping car crashes and outdoor crime scenes with drones since 2018. Matt has been involved with the FWPD rolling out its Drone First Responder (DFR) since 2021. Involved with the community, Matt helped plan and organize 71 demos that ASU was a part of in 2022. Matt is an instructor with Unmanned Tactical Group (UTG) and a member of FOP Wayne Lodge 14. A 2000 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and communications with an emphasis in TV production, Officer Rowland is currently assigned as one of two full time sUAS pilots on the Fort Wayne Police department Air Support Unit.