Captain Vern Sallee
Captain Vern Sallee is a 24-year veteran of the Chula Vista Police Department and currently leads the patrol division and drone as a first responder (DFR) program. He led the inception of CVPD’s drone program in 2015 and its expansion into DFR operations in 2018. Under his leadership, CVPD’s DFR program has gained international acclaim for its innovation and impact. He is recognized as a police drone expert and is a member of the USDOJ COPS office SLTT UAS Working Group, working to produce a guide on drone use by public safety agencies. He has participated on numerous drone panels and lectured about CVPD’s DFR program at the IACP Technology Conference, the IACP National Conference, the FBINAA National Conference and was a guest speaker at the UNC2019 Conference in Norway. He has a BA from San Diego State University, an MS from Missouri State University and is a graduate of the FBINA Class 270, California P.O.S.T. Command College, Class 53 and is a member of IACP, PERF and CPCA.
