If it's a Police or Sheriff's Helicopter in the news, and if it's worth reading..... you will find it here. Updated continuously!
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Two on duty San Antonio Police helicopter pilots assaulted at south side gas station. The situation culminates with one suspect being shot by police. Both officers received minor injuries during the scuffle.
San Bernardino Sheriff's patrol helicopter, Eurocopter AS350San Bernardino Sheriff's helicopter(s) rescue injured off road biker. Note how there are two helicopters involved in this rescue. This is often the case even with our own agency, for several reasons. First, many times the smaller patrol helicopter is already in the air. Second, if the exact location of the victim, missing hiker, etc., is not know then the response is going to involve a "search" prior to the rescue. Most agencies don't launch medium lift helicopters on searches while there is a smaller available for the search mission. This rescue took place in the mountains of San Bernardino County. It is also note worthy that both the doctor and paramedic are reserve deputy volunteers. The volunteer reserves play a vital role on many sheriff departments around the country, including the San Diego Sheriff's Dept.
California Highway Patrol Helicopter assist in rescue of man who spent night in snow cave on Donner Summit. In the southern part of the state of California there are many large sheriff and police departments who handle the bulk of rescues in their counties. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's operate one of the premier helicopter rescue units in the country. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department and their air support unit covers the largest county in the State of California. However, when you get into the northern part of the state, and/or smaller jurisdictions with less air assets, many helicopter rescues are carried out by California Highway Patrol helicopters and air crews. This rescue is just one of numerous rescues carried out by the CHP Air Support Unit each year.
San Diego bank robber arrested as a direct result of P.A. announcements from San Diego Police Helicopter. Any law enforcement officer assigned to a police air crew for any significant length of time can tell you about the effectiveness of the helicopter's public address system. During daylight hours the P.A. is one of the most effective tools available to the police helicopter crew when it comes to locating wanted suspects, and/or missing adults and children. This case in the City of San Diego is another excellent example of the value of having an airborne asset available to respond to crimes in progress. Excellent job SDPD "ABLE."
Trial begins for man accused of shooting arrow at a police helicopter in Michigan. Let's face it, stories about people aiming lasers at police helicopters are a dime a dozen. Sure they still need to be arrested and thrown in jail, but laser stories just don't hold my attention for more than a few seconds these days. But taking on a police helicopter with a bow and arrow, now that is a whole new approach all together. Barry Crowder of Allegan County Michigan apparently didn't appreciate members of the West Michigan (Narcotics) Enforcement Team coming on his property during a marijuana eradication mission. Crowder even admits that he kicked open his own front door and shot at the officers and their helicopter with his compound bow. It takes all kinds!
Walton County (FL) Sheriff's Helicopter assist Florida Highway Patrol on multi-agency police pursuit. It all started when a Dept. of Enviromental Protection police officer made a traffic stop and requested assistance. The Highway Patrol and a Walton County Sheriff's Deputy responded. Things went downhill from there. A male suspect fled on foot with handcuffs on, a female suspect tried to drive away in the vehicle and fought with deputies. The handcuffed suspect later stole a pick up truck leading to a vehicle pursuit. The Walton County Sheriff's Helicopter played a vital role in keeping the suspect vehicle in sight and relaying it's location to pursuing ground units. The suspect was eventually taken back into custody. The Walton County Sheriff's Department has operated two OH-58 military surplus helicopters since the mid 90's.
Sonoma County Sheriff's Helicopter crew locates fleeing attempt murder suspect. The story begins when Petaluma City Workers sumbled onto a vicious attack by a homeless man, on a female victim, in a creek area next to a city park. The victim was severly beaten, nude, and was being strangled with a rope when the workers came upon the scene. The attacker fled but was later located by the crew of Henry 1.
Baton Rouge Police R44 Patrol Helicopter, photo- courtesy Baton Rouge PD
Baton Rouge Police Department's Air Support Unit goes into service as new R44 Police Helicopter takes flight. One might wander how the Baton Rouge Police Department can start up a helicopter air support unit, when many other agencies are shutting their's down. Combine a campaign promise and federal stimulus money, with a crime rate that is much higher than the national average and you have the makings of a small but much needed police helicopter unit. The new helicopter will be flown by 4 police pilots, two of whom are military trained helicopter pilots and two who put themselves through civilian helicopter training. The new helicopter was put into service on Feb 1st. Police Helicopter Pilot.com wishes the new unit good luck, safe flying, and many FLIR finds to come!
Cleveland Police Authority (UK) Chairman tells other police chiefs "Hands off my helicopter." The remarks are in response to at least some discussion among authorities in the UK to pool all police helicotpers in the country into a single pool. The Chairman, Councillor Dave Mckluckie told a meeting of the police authority "My message is: Hands off our police helicopter. You're not getting it." The Cleveland Air Operations Unit operates a single EC 135 helicopter based at the Durham Tees Valley Airport.
Phoenix Police Helicopter makes precautionary landing in Phoenix neighborhood. Reports are that the pilot landed due to an engine oil temperature warning light. The pictures in this article indicate that the helicopter is one of their Agusta helicopters. Pheonix flies an Agusta A109, and an Agusta A119. You can learn more about the Phoenix Police Air Support Unit here.
Virginia Beach Police, Bell 407 "911 Victor Bravo." Photo- Virginia Beach PD.
Here is an in depth article at JEMS.com on the Virginia Beach Police Department's helicopter and it's new role as an EMS ship. The new $2.9 million dollar Bell 407 has been in service since August and has several successful medivacs under it's belt. The new helicopter goes by the call sign "911 Victor Bravo."
Riverside Police Department Helicopter makes precautionary landing at Costco: The incident occurred while the air crew was assisting the California Highway Patrol with a pursuit around 0135 hours, in Industry Ca. According to a lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (who patrols the City of Industry) the helicopter developed a mechanical problem and landed until it could be checked by a police department mechanic. The Riverside Police Department operates 2- MD 500E and 2- MD 500D model helicopters, the same type as operated by the San Diego Sheriff's and many other agencies. While the type of mechanical problem was not reported, it is very often a caution/warning light that illuminates in the cockpit that prompts the precautionary landing. An example of a caution/warning light would be a "chip detector" which detects tiny pieces of metal flakes or chips in the engine, transmission, and tail rotor gear box. No one was injured during the incident.
Topeka Police Department's helicopter set to go on the auction block. The Topeka PD's Air Unit took it's last flight on new years eve 09, after being defunded by city leaders earlier in the year. Now the department has made plans to sell of it's remaining 1994 Schweizer 300 helicopter via an online auction. Topeka had long been the hot bed of debate over the worth of a police aviation unit. But don't fear, the citizens of Winnepeg Canada have picked up right where Topeka left off, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. Winnepeg is set to launch a police aviation unit by summer time after a lengthy and hot debate, which will no doubt linger for the months and years to come.
Arizona Department of Public Safety Helicopter locates missing 3 year old girl who spent the night in the Arizona countryside. The three year old, who lives with her family in Cordes Lakes, wandered away from the front porch of her residence along with the family dog Blue. The youngster was reported missing Thursday evening and was not located by the police helicopter crew until Friday morning. The dog is being credited with keeping the girl warm enough to survive through the night. I can assure you that these parents are glad the State of Arizona spends tax payer dollars to put a police helicopter up in the air. Excellent work by the Arizona DPS helicopter crew, and all ground units and volunteers involved in the search!
Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter responds to hot air balloon crashlanding near Gila Ben Arizona. According to the Arizona DPS no one was injured during the incident. The pilot was located near the downed balloon, while some of the passengers were located a distance away on foot.
Photo- St. Louis Metro Air Support Unit website.
This is a nice article at Suburban Journals on the St. Louis Metro Air Support Unit. The unit is a cooperative effort of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Dept., the St. Louis County Police Dept., and the St. Louis Metro Police. Officers and deputies from each department make up the air crews that operate the 6 helicopters in their fleet and patrol both counties and the City of St. Louis. The St. Louis Metro Air Unit flies MD500E and OH6 helicopters along with 1 fixed wing aircraft.
Indianapolis Police MD600N Helicopter, Photo-Indianapolis Police Dept.
Indianapolis Police Ground Helicopter Unit: It appears that Indianapolis will become the latest city to ground their police helicopters in an effort to save money in this down economy. According to their website, the Indianapolis Police Department has operated an MD600 Notarand a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, along with two Schweizer 300 piston powered helicopters that they use for training and back up helicopters. More to the story- On a couple of occasions recently I have been asked by reporters to comment on other agencies closing down their police air units. The article linked to above is one of those occasions. While I was not misquoted in the article, it kind of came across as though I didn't really care if various police air units around the country were shutting down. Certainly I am in no position to be telling city leaders how to run their police departments, But here is what I really said.
"Regarding how I feel about cities or agencies cutting the aviation unit first: We know that Air units are expensive to start up maintain and operate, and we all know that public agencies, local and state governments are operating with much less cash right now. If the money is not there, they have to cut somewhere and it is natural to look at where large chunks of money are being spent, and re-evaluate. So while I don't blame cities or agencies for grounding there air units, it would be my hope that as the economy recovers, these same agencies would once again place the same importance on the air unit as they did before the economy went south. Just like computers, and automobiles, helicopters are valuable tools in the fight against crime if you can afford them."
I also stated "But the way to think about this is that a violent felon actively fleeing the police is extremely dangerous to the general public. Setting aside the dangers and controversies of vehicle pursuits, many fleeing felons don't mind taking someone down with them, or are more than willing to take an innocent person's life to further their escape, think "Carjacking". Bottom line, some dangerous criminals will absolutely escape capture, (at least for the time being) due to the police helicopter not being available."
Maryland State Police Helicopter damaged during take off when tail hits snowbank. The incident occurred at Prince George's Hospital Center in Landover where the crew of "Trooper 2" had just delivered 2 accident victims. The helicopter is based out of Andrews Air Force Base. No injuries were reported.
Minnesota State Patrol Helicopter crew uses it's night vision and heat sensing technology to find fleeing robbery suspect. The suspect was confronted by a detective several hours after an Apple Valley movie theater was robbed of about $3,000. After a scuffle the robbery suspect fled into the darkness. A Minnesota State Patrol Helicopter was called in to assist and eventually located the subject.
The UK News Website Mail Online is reporting that the first ever arrest, directly related to the deployment of a police drone aircraft, has occurred in the UK. Drone aircraft are being looked at more and more by law enforcement agencies all around the world, particularly as new technology is developed and manufacturers promote this technology. Drone aircraft has already entered the debate in Winnipeg where police, city leaders, politicians, and the general public are arguing over the cost and need of the new police helicopter being considered for that city. The argument being, drone aircraft are way cheaper to own and operate. The real question is, will drones ever fully replace police helicopters? That is just not something I am worried about in this life time. It's going to be a long time before a drone aircraft on a police mission can provide the same level of service as can two (or in the UK three) highly trained, highly skilled police aviators working in the cockpit of a high tech helicopter or airplane. But as long as we don't start crashing them in to other aircraft, there is plenty of room for police drone aircraft. So bring them on and let's start putting even more criminals behind bars!
In this 2007 FLIR video myself and Deputy D. Weldonassist deputies in San Marcos on a felony subject who fled a vehicle stop, leaving a gun behind in the car. A few minutes after the subject fled, a citizen called in to report someone on her roof. This resulted in a second foot pursuit but the suspect again evaded capture. No it was not a difficult FLIR find, but suspect still went to jail. Deputy Weldon is piloting the helicopter and I am on the FLIR.
California Highway Patrol Helicopter assist Riverside Sheriff's Departmentwith discovery of stolen vehicle chop shop. After deputies discovered the first 2-3 cars the CHP helicopter was called in to assist and discovered 8 additional stolen vehicles.
9/11 Photos taken from New York City Police Helicopter released for first time. These dramatic new photos never before seen by the public, were taken by New York City Police Detective Greg Semendinger of the New York City Police Air Support Unit.
San Diego Sheriff's patrol vehicle rammed by U-Haul truck during pursuit. My partner Deputy T. Webber and I responded to this call last night. Started off as a domestic violence incident but when a deputy spotted the suspect vehicle a couple of hours later, it turned into a pursuit. As it turns out we are in the middle of switching aircraft, as the one we were flying was timed out, and we had just "flown it into check." We were still rolling out our second aircraft when the pursuit started so a request was made for the San Diego Police Helicopter, ABLE 3 to respond. ABLE arrived on scene just after the vehicle rammed the deputy and then crashed into a power box. As it turns out ABLE 3 was low on gas and could only spend about 5-8 minutes on scene. Prior to the arrival of the first police helicopter the suspect was able to flee from the truck and conceal himself in a nearby equipment yard. Ground units were able to set up a good perimeter and deputies were able to follow a blood trail for a distance. ABLE 3 broke for fuel and we arrived on scene a few minutes later with "the host" on the FLIR. A quick FLIR search revealed a significant heat source inside the equipment yard where the deputies and officers believed the suspect was contained. Location of the heat source was relayed to the K9 handler who was about to start his search. Result- one suspect in custody right where the FLIR and K9 said he was. Outstanding job by all the ground units!
Cayman Islands EC135 Police Helicopter, Photo- Cayman Net News If you are traveling to the Cayman Islands in the near futureyou can know that by March 1st police authorities on Grand Cayman Island will have taken delivery of a new, fully outfitted EC135 Police Helicopter. The helicopter, outfitted with the latest FLIR, Nightsun, P.A., downlinking and moving map technology will be operated by the Royal Cayman Island Police Service (RCIPS). The new RCIPS Air Operations Unit is headed up by Steve Fitzgerald, a former UK Police Inspector who commanded an air ops unit in the UK.
Louisiana State Police helicopter uses FLIR to find missing 9 year old boy. The State Police Helicopter & crew were requested by the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office when they were unable to locate the missing youngster. The best part, to boy was found by the helicopter's crew nearby sleeping with his dog. Great FLIR find guys! The Lousiana State Police own and operate a fleet of 7 Bell Helicopters to include the 430, 206L and the OH-58.
San Diego Sheriff's Aviation Unit was on the local Channel 10 news last night for a rescue over the weekend,and a mention of our new video downlinking technology. In reality, the downlinking has nothing to do with the rescue, but any positive news coverage is a good thing, and the downlinking has already been used with excellent results. The talking heads are our unit commander and one of our senior fire/rescue pilots.
Alaska State Troopers R44 HelicopterI recently put in a request to the Alaska State Troopers for a couple photos of their aircraft, to go along with an entry on their unit in "Police Sheriff Aviation Units USA". What I got instead was 13 beautiful photos of their helicopters and 1-fixed wing in various parts of the state. You can check out the photos in the picture gallery. Big thanks to Alaska Department of Public Safety!
Three Arizona law enforcement helicopters assist in massive pursuit of murder suspectswho shot and killed a Gilbert Az. Police Lt. thursday night. Lieutenant Eric Shuhandler was murdered around 10:40 pm after conducting a traffic stop on a truck in the parking lot of a Fry's Electronics store. The location of the stop was near the border with the city limits of Mesa Arizona. The truck and it's two occupants were observed fleeing the scene by nearby police units beginning a 50 mile long chase in which shots were fired and police cars were disabled. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Helicopter, "Fox 1", the Mesa Police Helicopter "Falcon" and the State DPS "Ranger" helicoper out of Tucson Az all assisted in the pursuit. Both suspects were ultimately shot and injured. One of the suspects was subsequently transported by The Arizona DPS helicopter which normally staffed with a paramedic in addition to the pilot and TFO. The second suspect was transported by ground ambulance. Police Helicopter Pilot.com extends it's condolences to the family of Lt. Shuhandler.
Have you ever been cruising happily around the internet typing in your favorite helicopter search term, when you came across one of those wacky Youtube videos about the Mesa Police Helicopter Unit? Well I came across them one too many times, so I decided to do a little digging of my own. You can learn what I discovered here.
Eagle Police helicopter in Orange Co. California assist in arrest of sex pervert on roof of home next to the I-5 freeway. The subject was masturbating in full view of commuters on the I-5 during the mid-day commute. The Eagle police helicopter is a cooperative air support unit operated by the Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach Police Departments.
Photo- Courtesy Brevard Co. Sheriff.s Dept.
The Brevard Co. Fla Sheriff's helicopter was tracking and filming the pursuit of two female purse snatching suspects when the suspect vehicle collided with a car driven by an elderly female. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon after the pair committed a purse snatching and were followed onto a nearby freeway by witnesses. The witness remained in phone contact with the sheriff's department until deputies on the ground and in the air took up the pursuit. The Brevard Co. Sheriff's Office operates 4 OH-58 helicopters out of Merritt Island Airport which is located near the center of the county. The county of Brevard covers an area along the coast of Florida which is 22 miles wide and 72 miles long. Since 2003 the unit has been the recipient of the FLIR Vision Award from FLIR Corporation on 3 different occasions for outstanding work with their FLIR camera, placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for different years, at the annual ALEA conference.
Virginia State Police Helicopter Pilot talks to reporters about his helicoptertaking rounds during the search last week for a murder suspect armed with a high powered rifle, in Appomattox County. The helicopter was hit 7 times in the belly, fuel tank, and one of the rotors. The pilot, Sgt. Don Childs cites devine intervention for the safe outcome.
File Photo of a Hernando Co. OH6 helicopter, Wikimedia.org
Kansas City Police Department Helicopter makes precautionary landing. The incident occurred around 4:45 in the afternoon Monday while the helicopter and crew were on routine patrol. The Kansas City Missouri Police Department operate 3 OH6 military surplus helicopters. The Hughes OH6, also know as the "Little Bird", was the military version of the MD 500 helicopter (formerly Hughes).
San Bernardino Sheriff's Helicopter Crew works with Civil Air Patrol to locate missing aircraft. The twin engine aircraft, which left Henderson Nevada on Monday bound for Compton, was discovered in the foothills about 5 miles from Rialto Municipal Airport. Rialto Muni Airport is home to both the San Bernardino Sheriff's Aviation unit as well as Western Helicopters, where many southern california law enforcement pilots go for recurrent training. While I am not normally a fan of "reader comments" some of the comments on this news story are worth reading. It reminds us all that this is not just a news story, but real people who were loved and who will be missed by many. In this case, it appears that one of the occupants was an African American self made millionaire who served his country and went on to build one or more successful aviation related companies. Policehelicopterpilot.com exends it's condolences to the family and friends.
photo courtesy of Civil Air PatrolRiverside Co. Sheriff helicopter and crew conducts night time, snowy, hoist rescue of two injured pilots in the Joshua Tree National Park. The highly experienced instructor pilot and student pilot got caught in a downdraft and slammed into a snowy peak on Monday. Civil Air Patrol was notified by air traffic controllers when the plane dropped off of radar, and a search was launched. The two men, suffering from hypothermia, broken bones, and cuts, were hoisted aboard a Riverside Sheriff's helicopter then tranferred to a nearby waiting EMS helicopter at around 0200 hours on Tuesday morning. Both are expected to recover. Joshua tree is located in the high desert approximately 60 miles east of downtown Riverside Ca. Excellent save by Civil Air Patrol, Riverside Sheriff's Aviation Unit and all rescuers involved!
Photo Courtesy Virginia State PoliceVirginia State Police Helicopter struck by gunfire during search for murder suspect, forced to land. Sheriff's deputies and law enforcement personnel from several agencies swarmed into the area in Appotamox County around noon time on Tuesday after officers were fired on while investigating a report of an injured person on a highway. Officers discovered the bodies of 7 people at a nearby residence sparking an intense manhunt. A state police helicopter taking part in the search was struck at least once in the fuel tank, but some reports indicate the helicotper may have been struck by as many as 3-4 rounds from a high powered rifle. Virginia State Police operate a total of 11 aircraft, 7 helicopters and 4 fixed wing Cessna 182. Their fleet of helicopters include 4 Bell 407s, 2 American Eurocopter B0-105s, and 1 American Eurocopter BK117 which are based at 4 separate locations throughout the state. No one aboard the helicopter was injured during this incident. Update: The suspect in this incident is now in police custody after walking up to officers on a peremiter position and surrendering Wednesday morning.
Photo by Peter Gutman/EPA
A German Police Helicopter assists with the rescue of skiers trapped in gondolas, in the southern German ski resort of alpine Brauneck. Approximately 43 skiers were trapped for several hours when a techinal problem left them suspended in the air, in below freezing temeratures. Over 100 fire fighters and mountain rescue specialist along with the police helicopter, worked for almost 3 hours to bring all the skiers back to the ground.
BK117 WA Polair Police Helicopter, Wikimedia.org, Nachoman-au.New South Whales, AU: Polair Police Helicopter locates and rescues 5 lost/overdue hikerswho had set out on a "beginners" canyoning expedition in the Blue Mountains. The outing turned tragic however for one member of the party when a rock overhang collapsed and killed a 15 year old boy. Rescuers and the Poliar Police Helicopter are working to recover the victim.
Wilmington NC Police Helicopter "SABLE" gets pretty incredible FLIR find: This occurred back in December but Police Helicopter Pilot just learned of this great FLIR find by Wilminton PD. Apparently the Bladen County N.C. Sheriff's Department responds to a hostage situation in which a 27 year old male is holding 5 family members in a mobile home. After some negotiations the suspect releases the hostages but proceeds to slip out of the home and dissapeared. Bladen County deputies called in the Wilmington PD helicopter to assist at which time the helicopter crew located the suspect with their onboard thermal imaging camera. The suspect had moved around behind deputies, and was lyingin a prone position armed with a loaded shotgun. Excellent job by the SABLE crew.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates one of the premier rescue helicopter units in the country. They are called upon many times throughout the year to perform rescues, often in the Angeles National Forest. This morning they were called on to perform a hoist rescue of an elderly gentleman who drove off of a 100'+ ravine and was stranded overnight. Follow the link to see a short video of the hoist rescue.
LAPD Air Support, Glen Grossman photo. Remember when "Networking" was the big buzz word in the corporate and professional world? Well LAPD Air Support has been networking with other Southern California law enforcement air support units (as well as air traffic controllers) for over 20 years by hosting there annual Chili Fly In. Every police helicopter crew that flew in to LAPD's roof top heliport was encouraged to bring an air traffic controller from their area with them. As a rookie in my air support unit I was fortunate enough to attend one of these fly ins in 2006 along with an air traffic controller from Montgomery Field in San Diego. At the time one could argue the merits of networking with other air support units. But in the current economic climate LAPD's Chili Fly In is getting some heat, at least from an employees union in Orange County California. While smaller police air support units around the country are being shut down due to lack of funds, existing air support units will have to take a much harder look at the way they spend those tax payer dollars. Or, some reporter will do it for us.
UK: The North Midlands Police helicopter comes to the rescue of 8 year old boy trying to get to the hospital for a kidney transplant. It all began when the family was notified of a waiting kidney but due to snowy weather and bad roads, the family became stuck. The boys father frantically called the Notts Police who responded by launching the Notts & Derbyshire joint police helicopter known as the North Midlands Helicopter Support Unit. The helicopter landed in a nearby field, loaded the boy on board and flew him to the Queens Medical Center where surgeons were standing by. Excellent use of a police helicopter!
Photo Denbighshire Free Press, Inspector Steve Jones & the North Whales Police Helicopter.
An excellent article worth reading out of the UK from the Denbighshire Free Press regarding the North Whales Police Helicopter unit. The unit is comprised of 4 former military pilots and 9 police officer observers/TFOs who work out of a Eurocopter EC135 T-1 police helicopter. The air operations unit has been supporting ground officers for the past 16 years.
Sacramento residential burglary suspect caught with the help of the law enforcement helicopter's public address system (PA),but there is a twist to the story. Deputies attending football practice at a nearby high school hear the PA announcements, observe a suspect matching the description and gave chase. Suspect was taken into custody following a tackle. After reading the story I am not sure which agency's helicopter gets the credit, Sacramento Police Helicopter or Sacramento Sheriff's helicopter. But Deputy Shane Gregory gets the tackle!
Contra Costa Co. Sheriff Helicopter assist on pursuit which traveled through three California counties. The pursuit began in Concord Ca when a police officer spotted a late model Ford Mustang driving erratically and with a false plate.
Pablo Alcala photo. This is a nice article by the Lexington Herald-Leader on the Lexington Police Department's Helicopter unit. The unit was formed in 2006 after receiving a surplus U.S. Army Oh-58 helicopter. It is currently based at Bluegrass Field in Lexington and is staffed by three pilots and two tactical flight officers.
Wiltshire Police MD902, photo Wiltshire Times.
UK: Wiltshire Police & Air ambulance helicopter, an MD902 has just been upgraded with the top of the line FLIR camera, the Star Safire model. The camera should enable the crew to work from an altitude of 2000'AGL while watching someone up to 2 1/2 miles away. According to Wiltshire Police Observer Kevin Reed this camera system will put them on the cutting edge of technology. Update 1-4-10apparently their new Star Safire (did I mention that this is the top of the line FLIR) camera is working out nice for them. Wiltshire Police Helicopter gets 2 FLIR finds & 4 people in custody on New Years eve/day.
UK: Lankanshire County Police release statistics on their police helicopter over last three years. The helicopter has made over 6000 flights and it's crew has assisted on over 800 arrest in the same time period.
Excellent article by Frank Lombardi at Rotor & Wing on the value and effectiveness of police helicopters. Lombardi talks about the "police presence" of the helicopter, vantage point, response times, officer safety and the need to educate other members of your department of city/county government on the services offered by the police air support unit.
Arizona DPS Helicopter locates fatal hit & run vehicle for Kingman Police. Recording of the vehicle results in a search warrant and suspect in custody.
Capital-Journal photo. Topeka Schweizer 300 helicopter.For some time now Topeka Kansas has been ground zero for debate on the worth of police aviation units. For well over a year (perhaps several) the citizens of Topeka have hotly debated whether or not the police helicopter unit, in business since the 70's, should continue to be funded. Click on any news story about the Topeka Police Air Support Unit and view the readers comments and you begin to get an idea of the depth and vitriol this issue takes on in that city. With that said, most of the debate was quelled a few months ago when the city council voted to defund the police helicopter unit. While policehelicopterpilot.com is a staunch proponent of police helicopters, I/We are in no position to tell the citizens of Topeka Kansas what is best for them. Ultimately it comes down to whether or not there is enough money in the city coffers and whether or not the unit is supported by the citizens. It does seem to this writer that for whatever reason, Topeka has an inordinate amount of the public that is starkly opposed to their police having an aviation unit. Perhaps they know better than I. The Topeka Police Helicopter will take it's final flight on New Years Eve, 2009. On 1-1-10 the citizens of Topeka will have to look elsewhere for air support. For the record; The Topeka Police Air Support unit was marred by two fatal accidents in the years since it came into existence. The first was in the 70's just after the unit was created, and the second fatal accident occurred in the 2002 taking the lives of two officers. A third "crash landing" of their new R-44 helicopter was caught on video tape of a local university and aired on national news in 2008. All occupants walked away with minor injuries in that incident which was a result of a "malfunctioning magneto" according to the NTSB.
While many police agencies are reducing or even grounding their air units, the Winnepeg (Canada) Police are working dilligently to start up their police aviation unit. If the plans are approved Winnepeg Police hope to have the Eurocopter Canada EC-120B Colibri flying be summer. They plan to staff the helicopter with three civilian pilots with police officers filling the role of the Tactical Flight Officer.
Riverside Sheriff's Helicopter along with volunteer Search And Rescue crews rescue three 18 year old hikers from snow covered 10,000' level of Mt. San Jacinto. The three were attempting to hike from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Idyllwild but became disoriented after encountering heavy snow and ice and getting off the trail. This would be Riverside Sheriff's third helicopter rescue in just about as many days.
CHP and Riverside Sheriff Helicopters team up to rescue two hikers in the area of the Palm Springs Tramway on Mt. San Jacinto. This one also included a night time, off field, NVG landing on top of Mt. San Jacinto.
Hiker rescued by Los Angeles Sheriff Hoist Helicotper after apparently taking 100' fall and injuring leg in the Los Angeles National Forest.
Phoenix motorcycle rider leads police and helicopter on 50 mile chase. Not the first time. Fleeing rider drove into the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport during pursuit. Was this coincidence or was rider attempting to use the airspace to shake off police helicopter?
Police Helicopter(s) in Isreal get hit with lasers, just like law enforcement helicopters in other parts of the world. Teen under arrest.
Sam Yu photo.
Maryland State Police Helicopter crew helps locate airplane thief hiding in woods near the Frederick Municipal Airport. The Piper aircraft did suffer damage during the theft and subsequent ground loop.
Northamptonshire UK Police Helicopter tracks armed robbery suspects. Leads to arrest of 3 Sri Lanken robbers.
Riverside Co. Sheriff helicopter crew conducts night time NVG rescue of lost hikers. The rescue came on Christmas night after six hikers from the pacific northwest went hiking in the Painted Canyon area near the Salton Sea and realized they were not going to make it out before dark. Temps were in the 30s.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department helicopter 40-King. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)
San Bernardino Sheriff's Helicopter rescues Long Beach man from top of Mount Baldy after spending the night in the cold. This pilot/writer got the opportunity to land on top of Mount Baldy in the snow, at 10064' MSL while attending mountain flying school in 2007. Awesome!
Missing elderly man located in bottom of ravine by San Diego Sheriff helicopter crew. This was an excellent night time FLIR find which undoubtedly saved a life. Victim was in early stages of hypothermia as well as other medical problems.
Los Angeles Co. Sheriff's helicopter crew directs deputies in Hacienda Heights to car thief hiding in a wheeled trash can. For some reason fleeing felons love hiding in trash cans.
This Washington Post article on the Maryland State Police helicopter crash was published back in August but if you have not had a chance to read it before now it is well worth your time. It is a very in depth article with the bottom line being that there was a lot of blame to go around from outdated weather reports to slow responses from ATC and ultimately pilot decision making. There are a lot of lessons to be learned by all.