
Robert is a Master Peace Officer, Part 107 licensed pilot, licensed FCC Radio Technician, and has experience flying over 15 UAS platforms. He is actively completing a Master of Science in Unmanned Systems, with a focus in sUAS. In addition to public safety operations, he has extensive electronic experience which includes building and flying FPV/racing drones.

Currently, he is Detective Sergeant and supervises two divisions, the Juvenile Division and the Digital Forensic Lab. Mark also served on their Emergency Services Team (SWAT). He returned to school and earned his master’s degree in 2007. Since then, Mark has taught over 300 college courses.
In 2021, Mark was selected for a position with FWPD’s Air Support Unit (ASU). Their team has 9 members who are all Part 107 pilots and currently fly a variety of drone systems that support several functions within FWPD. These missions include crime scene photogrammetry, accident reconstruction, critical incident (SWAT operations), overwatch, and search and rescue operations. Mark is scheduled to become the ASU Team Commander in 2022.

Miss Carter has 18 years’ experience in local, state, and federal governments as a structural/wildland firefighter, mine rescue, drone pilot, EMT, hazmat instructor, fire captain, and instructor. She is the Underwater Drone expert for the state of Utah and is currently a Part 107 drone pilot instructor as well.
While serving in Wendover Utah, Miss Carter transformed and rebuilt a failing fire department from a voluntary department into a full-time/part-time station with certified firefighters and hazmat responders. Miss Carter ran the training program in hazmat/WMD/Fire one and two in Wendover as a Captain. In 2019, Miss Carter served with the Federal Forestry in California to fight wildfires. Miss Carter was one of the first firefighters to participate in a Police Tactical HazMat Operations course at SERTC in Colorado.

Ryan became a career firefighter with South Davis Metro Fire Agency in 2009 and worked his way onto the HazMat team to become the Hazardous Materials Training Coordinator. In 2016, Ryan took a position as a Hazardous Materials Trainer with the Utah State Fire Marshal’s Office where he created and managed the agency’s unmanned systems program, which currently includes sUAS and submersible ROVs. The program is currently investigating adding UGVs and a virtual reality hazardous materials training platform.
Ryan is now a Deputy State Fire Marshal within the Inspections & Investigations Section bringing his drone and technology expertise to fire investigations and code enforcement.

In 2007, he completed his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Public Affairs with a specialization in Criminal Justice. Trent also received an undergraduate certificate in Risk and Emergency Management. In 2019, he completed his master’s degree from Arizona State University in Emergency Management and Homeland Security with a Biosecurity and Threat Management concentration.
Trent attended UTAC 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed the training conference. He hopes to provide useful insight from his law enforcement experience on the Air Support Unit to other agencies at UTAC 2022.


David developed and oversees CDRP’s Disaster Incident Research Team (DIRT), deploying to disaster impact areas to perform field research on disaster and emergency management. DIRT provides UAS services in a variety of disaster contexts, including search and rescue, damage assessment, and other response activities as well as international disaster risk reduction projects.
DIRT has been deployed to Bay County, Florida in response to Hurricane Michael, Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Dorian, and Sally. David is the statewide UAS Coordinator and activates as part of the State of Florida’s Air Operations Branch. He leads the Florida UAS Working Group which develops best practices for disaster UAS operations in the state and in conjunction with FEMA Region 4.
As part of the applied research team at CDRP, he has extensive experience in emergency management training and exercises for all levels of government, facilitated plan review and development, developed bioterrorism preparedness programs, and has provided expert technical assistance on a variety of governmental EM projects.

He transferred to Anchorage, Alaska and joined the Alaska Air National Guard and has served over 23 years in the military and now fulfills the role of a Provost Marshal for the Alaska National Guard.
Additionally, since 2007, Dr. Jackson has served as an Anchorage police officer assigned to various departmental roles such as Honor Guard, EVOC instructor, PT instructor, Field Training Officer. Currently, he is assigned to the Crime Suppression Unit and Technical Support Unit.
Dr. Jackson is the UAS program manager and has operated various platforms of UAS and FPV racing drones. Their UAS team has 9 Part 107 certified pilots who support various functions within APD. The missions include crime scene and major collision documentation, overwatch, critical incidents (SWAT), and search and rescue operations.