Captain Aaron Fritch has more than 19 years of law enforcement experience within the Texas Department of Public Safety. His first 17 years was spent with the Texas Highway Patrol where he specialized in collision reconstruction. This is where he first became introduce to UAS, where in 2013 he began testing the use of the technology for crash scene mapping.
In 2017, he was a member of the working group for TXDPS that developed the department’s UAS program, which has grown to one of the largest public safety programs in the country. The UAS program conducts a variety of missions to include search and rescue, collision/crime scene mapping, border security, disaster response and tactical exterior and interior operations, and averages approximately 1000 drone flights a week across the state of Texas.
In 2022, Aaron promoted to the position of Captain, overseeing UAS operations for the roughly 320 remote pilots and 360 unmanned aircraft. He has completed the APSA Basic and Advanced NIST proctor courses, is a Part 107 Remote Pilot and is a lead instructor in the department’s UAS training program. He has served on multiple working groups relating to cUAS issues and has taught many UAS courses across the United States and overseas.
