Whether delivering life-saving medicines or conducting search-and-rescue missions, drones and autonomous technologies are everywhere鈥攁nd University of Maryland Global Campus鈥檚 (UMGC鈥檚) pioneering undergraduate聽Certificate in Drones and Autonomous Systems聽is聽positioning students at the forefront of a technology that is reshaping the future.聽
Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Captain Tony聽Galladora聽is an instructor in the program,聽sharing聽practical field knowledge聽and聽drone聽expertise聽with his students.聽
鈥淢y job [with MCPD] is to bring our Air Support Unit, which is all of our drones and our real-time crime center together, into a unified division and make sure all the pieces are working together to keep our community safe,鈥澛燝alladora聽said.
MCPD introduced drones in 2020 and quickly became the first Major Cities Chiefs Association agency to implement a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program. At first, the agency used the technology聽largely for聽crime-scene mapping, and as both equipment and staff capabilities grew, the department expanded the role of drones in its operations.聽
鈥淣ow we use interior drones on high-risk search warrants to search for people. Instead of going in聽immediately,聽we鈥檙e聽able to send drones first to help reduce the risk to everyone,鈥澛燝alladora聽said.聽
In the county鈥檚 high-call areas, rooftop-deployed drones can launch even before officers respond to 911 calls. With live video and rapid arrival times, they give officers situational awareness that once took valuable minutes to obtain.
Galladora鈥檚聽experience extends beyond local law enforcement. As assistant planning manager for Maryland Task Force 1 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he helps coordinate聽logistics聽and plans for disaster response鈥攁nd聽again,聽drones increase both safety and efficiency.
A UMGC graduate himself,聽Galladora聽earned a聽Master of Science in Homeland Security in 2020. Now, as an聽adjunct聽assistant聽an鈥痑djunct assistant professor,鈥痟e teaches two courses in the new certificate program:鈥燚rones聽and Autonomous Systems聽(300), and聽Applications of Drones and Autonomous Systems聽(305).聽
Today, MCPD officers can also benefit聽from a new鈥collaboration鈥痓etween UMGC and the department, giving them a pathway to advance their education and careers. The partnership aligns with UMGC鈥檚 mission to provide skills-based, workforce-relevant learning opportunities that support adult learners.聽
鈥淚 think it also helps my colleagues continue on, where they can use those credits from the academy as a base to build toward their full degrees,鈥澛燝alladora聽said.聽
For聽UMGC students,聽Galladora聽brings both聽expertise聽and perspective鈥攕howing how drone technology is reshaping public safety and how education can open doors for those doing the work on the ground.