The State of Public Safety Operations Q&A

Eric Buer recently joined LiveU as the Senior Director of Sales and Business Development for the Global Public Safety division. We sat down with Eric to learn more about his diverse career and plans for supporting the company’s Public Safety customers.

Military Leadership to Technology Sales
Q: Eric, you’ve transitioned from 25 years as a senior military officer and pilot to nearly a decade in aviation and technology-related government sales, and now to LiveU. How has your military background shaped your approach to understanding and addressing the technology needs of public safety customers?

A: My military experience taught me that when lives are on the line, technology isn’t just about features – it’s about reliability, simplicity, and mission success. As a pilot and senior officer, I learned that the best technology is the technology that works when everything else fails. That mindset is critical in public safety. Our customers don’t have the luxury of “trying again later” – whether it’s a SWAT operation, disaster response, or border security mission, they need real-time situational awareness that they can depend on absolutely. My military background helps me translate complex technical capabilities into operational advantages that public safety leaders immediately understand.

A Warfighter’s Perspective

Q: Drawing from your experience as a military pilot and officer, what critical communication and situational awareness challenges do you see and how can they be solved for today’s tactical operations?

A: In military operations, the difference between success and failure often comes down to having the right information at the right time. Traditional communication systems can be compromised, jammed, or simply unavailable in remote or congested environments. LiveU’s IP-video bonding technology addresses this by aggregating multiple cellular, satellite, and wireless connections into a single robust transmission path. For army personnel, this means they can transmit live video from drones, body-worn cameras, or vehicle-mounted systems back to command centers, even in the most challenging environments. Our LU-REQON1 field unit, for example, integrates seamlessly with UAV systems to provide that critical Common Operating Picture (COP) that commanders need to make informed decisions in real-time.First Responder Technology Gaps

Q: What technology gaps have you identified that first responders and emergency management teams face during critical incidents?

A: The biggest gap I see is the inability to share real-time visual intelligence across agencies and command levels during critical incidents. Fire departments, police, EMS, and emergency management often operate with different systems that don’t talk to each other. LiveU’s technology breaks down these silos by providing a common platform for live video transmission that works regardless of the underlying infrastructure. Whether it’s streaming from a fire chief’s helmet camera to the incident command center or sharing drone footage from a disaster zone with FEMA headquarters, our solutions ensure that everyone has access to the same real-time information, enabling more effective responses.

Government Procurement Insights

Q: With almost ten years in aviation-related government sales, you understand the complexities of government procurement. How are you leveraging this experience to help customers get value from technology and justify the spend?

A: Government procurement isn’t just about having the best technology – it’s about demonstrating clear value, ensuring compliance, and building trust through proven performance. I’ve learned that successful government sales require patience, persistence, and the ability to communicate effectively in the customer’s language. At LiveU, we’re focusing on pilot programs and demonstrations that let customers experience our technology firsthand before making long-term investments. My experience has taught me that in government sales, testimonials from peer agencies are what counts.

Critical Infrastructure Protection

Q: You mentioned a passion for protecting critical infrastructure. How do you see technology evolving to meet the increasing demands for securing and monitoring critical assets and facilities?

A: Critical infrastructure protection is becoming increasingly complex, especially with the convergence of physical and cyber threats. LiveU’s technology is evolving to support 24/7 monitoring of critical assets through reliable, redundant video transmission systems. Our solutions can stream from multiple cameras, sensors, and mobile platforms simultaneously, providing security operations centers with comprehensive situational awareness. We’re also working on integration capabilities that allow our video streams to trigger automated responses or feed into AI-powered analytics systems. The key is providing infrastructure operators with the ability to detect, assess, and respond to threats in real-time, whether that’s an intrusion at a power plant or suspicious activity around a transportation hub.

Real-World Applications

Q: Can you share some specific scenarios where LiveU’s live video transmission capabilities are making a measurable difference for public safety operations that you’re working with?

A: I can share some general scenarios that showcase our impact. We’re working with federal and localagencies that use our technology to stream live video from patrol vehicles and drones across vast, remote areas where traditional communications infrastructure is limited. This gives commanders real-time visibility into situations developing along hundreds of miles of coverage areas . We’re also supporting urban SWAT teams that need to stream tactical operations from vehicles and robotic systems back to command centers and incident commanders. In disaster response, our technology has enabled emergency management teams to assess damage and coordinate resources by streaming live video from helicopters and ground teams directly to state and federal emergency operations centers, dramatically improving response coordination.

Customer Growth Strategy

Q: What strategies are you implementing to scale support and ensure long-term success for your growing customer base?

A: Growth without support is just a recipe for customer churn. Our strategy focuses on three pillars: proactive customer success, scalable training programs, and strategic partnerships. We’re implementing customer success management programs that ensure each client maximizes their investment in our technology. This includes regular check-ins, performance optimization, and upgrade planning. We’re also developing comprehensive training programs – both in-person and virtual – that can scale as we grow. Finally, we’re building strategic partnerships with systems integrators and resellers who can provide local support and expertise. The goal is to ensure that every customer, regardless of size or location, has access to the support they need to be successful with our technology.

Technology Innovation Pipeline

Q: Given your technology passion and operational experience, how are you working with product teams to ensure future innovations align with the evolving needs of public safety customers?

A: Customer feedback drives our innovation roadmap. We’ve established regular forums where our public safety customers can provide direct input to our engineering teams about their evolving needs. We’re seeing increasing demand for AI integration, enhanced security features, and even lower latency transmission. We work closely with our product management team to translate operational requirements into technical specifications. For example, based on customer feedback, we’re enhancing our cybersecurity features and developing new form factors that are even more ruggedized for extreme environments. We’re also investing in integration capabilities that allow our technology to work seamlessly with the broader ecosystem of public safety technologies.

Vision for Public Safety

Q: Looking ahead, what’s your vision for transforming real-time video and information demands for those who protect and serve our communities?

A: Our vision is a future where every public safety professional has access to real-time, reliable video communications, regardless of their location or the challenges they face. I see LiveU technology becoming the backbone of integrated public safety communications – connecting everything from individual officer body cameras to major incident command centers. We want to eliminate the communication gaps that currently exist between agencies, jurisdictions, and command levels. Ultimately, we envision a world where public safety professionals can focus entirely on their mission, having complete confidence in their communication systems. When a police officer, firefighter, or emergency responder can instantly share what they’re seeing with those who need to see it, we all become safer.

Learn more about LiveU’s Public Safety solutions