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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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Bolitha James Laws III "Rocky" End of Watch July 6th, 2010. Photo was taken on the ASTREA ramp in 2007 during a fly in hosted by ASTREA. San Diego Sheriff's Air Support Unit said goodbye to fellow pilot and dear friend Rocky Laws on July 6th. Rocky had a long a colorful career beginning with his time in the United States Marine Corps where he flew both Huey helicopters and Cobra Gunships. Rocky participated as a helicopter pilot in the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy during the fall of Saigon. He left the Marine Corps as a Captain and soon hired on as a San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy. After a stint in the jail and patrol he was recruited to go to the Air Support Unit. Rocky would spend the next 17 plus years flying MD500 patrol helicopters and for the last 5 years our Bell 205++ "Huey" Fire/Rescue helicopters. Rocky was an avid photographer who consistently produced professional quality photos, but insisted on keeping it as a hobby. About a year or so ago I approached Rocky about posting some of his photos here at Police Helicopter Pilot.com and he was quick to say yes. You can view Rocky's photo gallery here. Rocky also maintained a page on Smugmug.com where he has posted hundreds of his photos at http://bl3.smugmug.com/ Rocky was also an avid mountain biker and was just finishing up an hour long ride when he suffered a massive heart attack just a block or so from his home in the mountain community of Pine Valley. Several of the Cal-Fire personnel who responded to the medical aide call knew Rocky as both a local resident and as a Sheriff's Dept. Fire/Rescue Pilot. At least one of the fireman had flown with Rocky as a member of the helitack crew on his helicopter. Look for a coming article on Rocky's last flight home to ASTREA Base. Rest in Peace my friend.
Arizona DPS Helicopter Crew finds missing 4 year old boy in the Tonto National Forest. The boy went missing sometime between 0500 & 0900 Friday morning while on a camping trip with family, and while his father was asleep. By the time the boy was spotted he had been wandering through the forest for about 5 hours. Authorities on scene are calling it a miracle that the boy was spotted at all through the thick canopy of trees. The boy was reunited whith his father a short time later.
File photo of a U.S. Army Hiller UH-12 helicopter.The Mesa (Co) County Sheriff's Office responded to a helicopter crash at a landscaping business in Grand Junction Colorado on Thursday. The helicopter, a 1961 Hiller UH-12E was on it's side in the landscaping yard, but the pilot was not injured. The pilot was apparently trying to fly the helicopter from one part of the yard to another when the crash occurred. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.
Two Maryland State Police Helicopter crews team up to rescue man impaled on an object in remote location. The rescue occurred near Joppatowne MD, at Gunpowder Falls. The man in his 20's jumped into the river at which time his chest became impaled on an object. Working with ground rescuers one helicopter performed the hoist rescue while the second crew performed the medavac. The man was listed in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. Excellent work by the Maryland State Police Air Unit.
Hiker rescued on Mt. Shasta at 10,000' level by CHP Helicopter. A hiker wearing only shorts and a short sleeve shirt slipped on ice and fell and unknown distance down the mountain. CHP helicopter "H-14" out of Redding Ca., was called to perform the rescue. The inexperienced climber was picked up around the 10,400' level according to officials. The CHP Northern Division Air Operations Unit employs two Aerospatiale A-star helicopters along with two Cessna 206 airplanes. The victim was expected to recover.
Bavarian Interior Minister takes delivery of the eighth and final EC 135 Helicopter. The keys to the new helicopter were delivered in an official ceremony at the ILA Berlin Air Show. The EC 135 P2+ is outfitted with the latest equipment to include a FLIR camera, a high resolution day/night camera, SATCOM, GPS, digital mapping system, tactical directional finder, a collision avoidance system, and the list seems to go on and on. Last year the Bavarian Police Helicopter Squadron flew 3,345 missions for about 4000 flight hours. About 35 percent of those missions were for missing persons while 15% were for criminal investigations. Training, photo flights, and other specialized missions made up the rest of the flight time. With it's Fenestrom tail and other features the EC 135 is the quietest helicopter in it's class.
"Eagle 1" the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach Police helicopter gets awesome bank robbery bust! The incident started with a bank robbery in Newport Beach where the robbers wore fake beards and sunglasses and displayed guns before making off with a bag full of money. A short time later officers on board the police helicopter spotted a black sedan, similar to the suspect vehicle, in Fountain Valley Ca. After observing the vehicle make some erratic maneuvers they called in a ground unit to make a traffic stop. That was the beginning of a 120 mph pursuit across several cities all culminating in the arrest of three bank robbers. Great work by all officers involved, on the ground and in the air.
File photo of a Bell 222 Helicopter, wikimedia commons.Careflight Helicopter crashes in Texas killing pilot and mechanic. The Bell 222 was on a post maintenance test flight when reports are it lost the main rotor. The crash occurred near Midlothian Texas around 2:15 pm. The main rotor was found approximately 100 yards from the crash site, while the tail section was found about 250 yards away. Police Helicopter Pilot.com sends it's condolences to the families of the victims. The Bell 222 was the first light twin engine helicopter manufactured in the U.S. and is still a popular aircraft for air ambulance companies.
A suspect who fired on Escondido Police Officers and the San Diego Sheriff's Helicopter during a 6 mile pursuit in March, has been bound over for trial on 27 felony accounts. Courty testimony by the former girlfriend and a string of law enforcement officers revealed that the suspect, Eric Anthony Pomatto (26) had originally planned to kill the father of his former girlfriend. The subject was sitting in a stolen vehicle outside the former girlfriend's home, when a neighbor called him in as a suspicious person. When officers attempted to contact the subject, the vehicle pursuit and shooting ensued. Amazingly no law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.
The year was 1980 when a US Customs Officer teamed up with several Arizona DPS Troopers to carry out a highly specialized mission. Other key people and assets were integrated into the OPS Plan to include police motorcycles, An Arizona DPS helicopter and a very special custom fit uniform. While there were some temporary setbacks, the target date arrived and the mission was carried out as planned. The Arizona DPS Troopers and the US Customs Agent had just fulfilled the very first wish of a small child suffering from terminal Leukemia. Seven year old Christopher James Greicius had just become a police officer for a day, and the Make a Wish Foundation was born. Read the full story by clicking on the link above.
A Lee County (Fl) Sheriff's Helicopter and crew assists Florida Highway Patrol with pursuit of 7 motorcycles. Two of the motorcycles were clocked at 140 mph prior to the riders being taken into custody. A total of 7 subjects were transported to jail, and their bikes impounded apparently pending forfeiture. The chase occurred on a stretch of road named Aligator Alley leading toward Fort Myers.
Fayette Co. (Ga.) Sheriff's Helicopter tracks Lo Jack hit to million dollar heavy equipment chop shop. The helicopter, which goes by the call sign "Hawk One" was on a routine patrol flight when it picked up a Lo Jack signal from a stolen Caterpillar D8 Dozer that had been taken earlier that morning. The helicopter crew tracked the signal to a rural residence where the heavy equipment "chop shop" was located. Four people were detained. According to Lo Jack officials it was the largest single recovery for Lo Jack in the entire state of Georgia. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office owns and operates a single OH-58 helicopter that is funded by drug asset siezure funds. Outstanding job!
Puerto Rico and Federal Authorities have identified a suspect in the shooting earlier this month of a Puerto Rican Police Helicopter in which the civilian Co-Pilot was killed. The 20 year old suspect was one of 11 people detained shortly after the incident but was released for lack of evidence at the time. Authorities did not say what additional evidence pointed toward the suspect who now has a warrant for his arrest.
Who knew hiking could be so dangerous. A pair of hikers were rescued by an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter, with assistance from ground search and rescue personnel, after the pair suffered broken bones and a twisted knee. The rescues occurred on the Fossil Creek Trail, in the "Rim Country" of Arizona.
Virginia State Police Helicopter Crew does successful emergency auto-rotation when their engine quits. The Bell 407 single engine turbine helicopter landed in a field after the engine quit at about 300' agl according to the two state troopers on board. Neither trooper was injured. One of the troopers was receiver refresher training in the helicopter after just returning from a tour in Iraq. The helicopter did receive some damage during the incident. Outstanding job by both pilots!
U.S. Forest Service AH-1 Firewatch Cobra Helicopter. Dan Megna photo.Check out our new picture gallery featuring the work of helicopter pilot and aerial photographer Dan Megna. Dan has several thousand hours in helicopters both as a pilot and a crew member, and has taking photos for most of his life. I don't think there is any question that Dan is one of the top aerial photographers in the country, particularly when it comes to helicopters in flight. Check out his gallery here, (just click on the picture above) then check out his new and updated website at www.danmegna.com
Officer Dan Benavidez, Photo courtesy CHPCalifornia Highway Patrol Officer killed when his fixed wing patrol airplane crashes under unknown circumstances. (Link has been updated to a more current story) Officer Danny Benavidez has been identified as the pilot in command and the sole occupant of the Cessna T206 airplane when it crashed sometime after 10:24 am south west of the Salton Sea in San Diego County (near the Imperial County line.) The pilot and aircraft were most likely based out of Thermal Ca., near Palm Springs. The pilot last reported his position to CHP dispatch as being over Imperial Ca. at 10:24 am. The crash was not located until approximately 4:45 pm by a State Parks Service airplane assigned to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. It is common for CHP fixed wing pilots to work single man crews during day light hours, and as long as they avoid Class B airspace. Officer Danny Benavides attended the 2005 CHP Air Crew course in San Diego with this writer. Officer Benavides is the second law enforcement officer from the class of 2005 to lose his life in an air crash, the first being Deputy Kevin Patrick Blountof the Sacramento Sheriff's Office killed in the crash of his Eurocopter EC-120 helicopter on July 13th 2005. The cause of that crash was determined to be a fuel control valve that was installed backwards at the factory. Since 2005 Officer Benavidez had stopped into ASTREA base in his CHP fixed wing on several occassions all of which involved great conversation, swapping of airborne law enforcement stories, and a many laughs. On at least one occassion I had taken over a vehicle pursuit from Officer Benavidez south bound on the I-15. His voice was one that I could always recognize when it came up on the air. It will be missed. Police Helicopter Pilot.com sends it's condolences to the Benavidez family.
A Civilian Police Helicopter Pilot in Puerto Rico was tragically shot and killed while assisting ground units in a vehicle pursuit. The incident unfolded late Tuesday May 4th when police began pursuing a vehicle that fled a traffic stop. As the officers were taking the suspect into custody, someone nearby began firing on the police helicopter hitting two crew members. The pilot was able to perform an emergency landing at a nearby ball field. The pilot is expected to survive, but the civilian co-pilot identified as Jesus Fernando Quinones Santiago succombed to his wounds early Wednesday morning. The fatally wounded pilot was a member of the San Juan Municipal Police Department air support unit. The FBI is investigating but no one is in custody for the murder at this time. The Puerto Rico Police Air Support Unit currently operates 4- Bell 407 helicopters, 1- Bell 412, 3- MD500D helicopters, and 1- MD520N helicopter in addition to several fixed wing aircraft. Police Helicopter Pilot.com sends it's condolences to the family and friends of the fallen police pilot.
Family of flight paramedic killed in Maryland State Police Helicopter crash sues federal government for $15 million. The crash occurred in 2008 while the helicopter and crews were transporting two crash victims to a trauma center. A story linked up at the bottom of this page goes into great detail about the crash and the errors made by many, including air traffic controllers. The weather information the pilot used for deciding whether to take the mission, was several hours old. When the pilot was struggling in low visibility and asked ATC for a ground controlled approach, the controller advised that they were not yet trained in such approaches. The helicopter subsequently crashed into trees killing all but one person on board.
Texas Department Of Public Safety Helicopter Crew spots murder suspect hiding in canyon. The suspect was wanted for stabbing his female victim as many as 60 times. The police helicopter crew spotted the suspect and directed ground units to his location where he was taken into custody.
UK: West Midlands Police beef up hangar security of their police helicopter after arson attack partially destroyed the previous police helicopter. The Eurocopter EC-135P2i is an exact replacement of the helicopter that was attacked last year. Last year saw a spate of attacks on police helicopters through the UK. At least 2 were attacked with axes as they sat on airport property in the middle of the night. In another incident in Stockholm Sweden a police helicopter was temporarily grounded by a fake bomb that had been strategically placed next to it, while the crooks carried out a pre-dawn helicopter robbery of a cash house.
Tampa Police Helicopter Crew uses their infrared camera to catch home invasion robbery suspects. One of the suspects is in the hospital after finding himself on the business end of a police officers firearm. This story from WTSP Channel 10 in Tampa has a nice video of officers taking the second suspect into custody. It is unknown if the shooting was captured on tape but it is not part of this video. Police Helicopters, their crews, and the technology on board these helicopters continue to be a valuable tool in taking violent criminals off the street, notwithstanding the hard and dangerous work performed every day by the officers on the ground and in the fight.
Funding issues continue to keep Indianapolis Police Helicopters in the hangar for now. Most of Indianapolis' helicopters have not flown in several months and the insurance policy covering the aircraft was recently allowed to expire. The Indianapolis Police Helicopter fleet included an MD600 Notar, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, and a Schweizer 300 piston powered helicopter.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Air Unit has been in the news a couple of times this week. The air unit received a boost to their night time search capabilities with the donation of an upgraded FLIR camera From FLIR Systems of Goleta Ca. The Santa Barbara Sheriff's air unit also made the news when it assisted on a pursuit of a skateboard weilding carjacking suspect that started in the town of Solvang Ca. The Santa Barbara Sheriff's own and operate 2- Bell OH58 helicopters, 1- Cessna 206, and 3- Bell UH-1H Huey helicopters.
Caution/Warning light in cockpit causes Tucson Police Helicopter to make precautionary landing in a shopping center parking lot. The helicopter flew away a short time later after being checked out by mechanics. Tucson PD owns and operates 3 Bell 206 turbine powered helicopters.
An interesting article from the Ventura Co. Star on the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Air Unit,and their use of volunteer medical professionals to supplement their airborne missions. The Ventura Sheriff's air unit operates 4 medium lift Bell Helicopters to include one HH-1H, one UH-1H, one 205B and one 212 all versions of what is otherwise known as the "Huey" helicopter.
Texas DPS AS350 Helicopter on display at ALEA 09.Texas DPS to place new 4 million dollar state of the art police helicopter at East Texas Regional Airport. The airport is located in Longview Texas which is in Gregg County. The amazing part is that while the move will not cost the County one dollar, at least one Gregg County Commissioner is out publicly condemning the idea. County Commissioner Darryl Primo has stated that he would rather see the State of Texas spend the money on improving service at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, and he has tried to make an issue out of who will provide the hangar facility for the helicopter. Both DPS and other county officials have all stated there is no hangar issue, as the state will simply rent a private hangar. Other counties in Texas have built hangar's and leased them to the state as a way of partnering with the state or attracting the state to place a helicopter in their county. Texas DPS operates 14 other helicopters, 7 Cessna aircraft and one Twin Turbo Commander. Last year Texas DPS flew over 10,000 hours on law enforcement missions throughout the state.
Move over Facebook there is a new Helicopter social networking site in town! Ok, so while it may not be knocking Facebook out of the #1 social networking site anytime soon, RotorSpace may be the only social networking site devoted only to helicopter enthusiasts. The site was founded in early 2010 by 25 year old web designer and helicopter enthusiast Jordan Dalton. The site offers a number of benefits to the helicopter pilot or the aspiring pilot such as, networking with other pilots, buying or selling an aircraft, job announcements, and simply sharing ones aviation knowledge through blogs, videos photos and forums. RotorSpace is in it's infancy but I think it will be around for a long time to come!
Former Topeka police helicopter auctioned off. The Schweizer 300 piston powered helicopter sold for $102,000 with some related parts and equipment selling for an additional $64,000. The helicopter made it's last flight on News Years eve due to the city leaders cutting the helicopter program out of the budget. This ended a long and often contentious fight over the importance of a police helicopter program in Topeka.
First draft report on the fatal New Mexico State Police Helicopter crash that occurred last year during a SAR mission on Mt. Santa Fe Baldy is made public. This is not the NTSB report on the crash itself, but rather a report by the New Mexico State Police to the New Mexico Search and Rescue Review Board about problems that arose during the rescue. The KOB TV news story I have linked to here, links to the report at the bottom of the news story. Just from reading the headline at KOB TV and skimming through parts of the report I can tell you that not only has the finger pointing begun, but one can see the huge egos among some of the Incident and Police Commanders as the report unfolds. This is undoubtedly a story that will demand further attention and analysis in the coming days. As pilots and law enforcement officers it is often interesting to see the disconnect with how stories such as this are reported and the reality of what really took place. You know how every news story about every air crash has to throw a line in about whether the pilot filed a flight plan, which the vast majority of the time has absolutely nothing to do with how or why a crash occurred. Kind of like how the crew of the New Mexico State Police Helicopter did not get permission from the U.S. Forest Service to land in the Forest prior to their otherwise honorable attempt to save the life of the lost hiker. Kind of like that. We will see a lot of that in this story and coming stories on this incident.
Arizona DPS Helicopter crew discovers murdered ranchers body in Southern Arizona. This is a tragic story coming out of Arizona where a rancher was gunned down by a suspected illegal immigrant on his own ranch.
Pasadena Police Helicopter doing what police helicopter crews are supposed to do. Taking bad guys off the streets. This Pasadena Helicopter crew was in the right place at the right time to spot a parolee driving away in a stolen vehicle. Good stuff!
Audio tapes released in that Escondido Police pursuit where the suspect fired on police and the San Diego Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter. Signonsandiego.com has an updated story on this incident complete with an edited audio file of some of the police communications during the pursuit and shooting. Some of the voices on the tape include Escondido PD Officer Ryan Banks, as well as Deputy/Pilot Darren Dollard who was working as the Tactical Flight Officer on board the helicopter at the time. Look for the audio file just below the photo of the police car. It is amazing how calm and professional everyone remained during the incident.
Pilot killed in Tennessee EMS helicopter crash was retired Memphis Police Helicopter Pilot. The entire helicopter and emergency medical community is mourning the tragic loss of three aviation/medical professionals in the fatal crash of a Hospital Wing Eurocopter A-star helicopter Thursday morning in western Tennessee. The helicopter was returning from delivering a patient to a trauma center, when it went down in what is being described as stormy weather. Some witnesses reported seeing lightning followed by a fireball in the vicinity of the crash. Pilot Doug Williams 58 was a veteran Memphis Police Officer and a 9 year member of the Memphis Police Air Support Unit with a total of 2400 flight hours. Flight nurses Cindy Parker 48 and Misty Brogdon 36 also perished in the crash. Police Helicopter Pilot.com extends it's condolences to the families of the victims.
Baltimore's Foxtrot police helicopter helps take carjacking suspects into custody. The future of the Foxtrot helicopter program is unknown as the city is still figuring out how to trim millions from it's budget.
Houston Mayor directs acting Police Cheif to study replacing police helicopter pilots with civilian helicopter pilots. Since police and sheriff's helicopters took to the skies in the early 70s there has been a debate about whether those aircraft are better off piloted by sworn police and sheriff's deputies or civilian pilots. Civilian pilots often have more experience and higher ratings, but sworn pilots bring police experience into the cockpit. The decision of Houston's mayor to study the switch from sworn pilots to civilian will no doubt add fuel to the debate. It appears that cost savings is the driving force behind the mayor's decision to study the switch to civilian pilots. The decision could ultimately lead other agencies to take a closer look at their air units, and who is piloting their aircraft. The Houston Police Department Air Support Unit is the second largest police air unit in the United States behind Los Angeles. Civilian pilots have long piloted many law enforcement helicopters, with sworn officers or deputies as the on board Tactical Flight Officer. Parts of this Examiner.com article would lead the reader to believe the mayor is considering replacing even the TFOs with civilians, which is highly unlikely. Virtually every airborne law enforcement unit in the country fills the TFO position with a sworn officer or deputy. Policehelicopterpilot.com will continue to watch this story.
The Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's helicopter fired on by 18 year old gunman. At about 0200 hours Sunday morning Orange County Sheriff's Deputies were responding to reports of a subject firing a gun outside of his home in the Frisco Bay Subdivision in Orlando. When the Sheriff's patrol helicopter arrived to assist with the call, the subject shot at the helicopter. The suspect was taken into custody around 0530 hours. The helicopter was not struck by any of the rounds.
Update 3-20-10: A San Diego Sheriff's Helicopter and crew were shot at, along with Escondido Police officers on Friday evening during the 6:00 hour. The name of the 23 year old suspect who repeatedly fired at Escondido Police Officers, and the San Diego Sheriff's Helicopter, is being withheld by police until a search warrant can be served on his residence. The incident unfolded Friday evening as Escondido Police pursued a stolen vehicle south bound on Bear Valley Parkway in there city. Several times during the pursuit the suspect would pull over, get set up, and then shoot at pursuing police officers as they rounded a corner. More than once during the pursuit the suspect targeted the ASTREA helicopter with his firearm, firing it through the sun roof of the stolen car. Ultimately the suspect pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant at the North County Fair Shopping Mall, and gave himself up. At this time it does not appear any law enforcement officers were injured during the assault on police, although one officer's uniform was pierced by a round that came through his windshield. The suspect is currently in the Vista Detention Facility facing numerous counts of attempt murder on a police officer as well as shooting at an aircraft. The Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter made a precautionary landing near the mall the check for damage, before proceeding on patrol. No damage was found. At the time of this incident the helicopter was being piloted by Deputy G. Palos with Deputy/Pilot D. Dollard working the TFO side.
Baltimore Police Helicopter may face budget cuts. In what seems to be a recurring headline, another airborne law enforcement asset my be on the chopping block. News reports coming out of Baltimore indicate that the city's police helicopter know as "Foxtrot" is at least being looked at as a way of saving the city money. Some predict that it is a scare tactic and that the helicopter will remain. Let's hope so!
The above video is hot off the press! SDSO's newest fire-rescue pilot performs a 180 degree autorotation in a Bell 205 (civilian version of the Huey helicopter). In the left seat is a Bell Helicopter factory CFI. If you listen carefully you will hear the engine being rolled to ground idle, just before he begins to make his turn. While new to the fire program this deputy is an experienced patrol and military helicopter pilot.
Texas DPS to step up day and night helicopter patrols in response to Gov. Perry's border violence plan. In addition to increasing both air and marine patrols Gov. Perry hopes to use National Guard helicopters in otder to maintain control of the state's southern border.
Houston Police Helicopter assist in hour long pursuit of armed attempt carjacking suspects. The incident began in Texas City when 3 teen age suspects, one armed with a gun, attempted to carjack a family returning from a camping outing. The pursuit came to an end almost an hour later after the suspect vehicle, which was stolen drove over spike strips.
Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff's Police Helicopter crew and a bloodhound named Melanie team up to take gang members into custody. Law Enforcement Officers on a stakeout observe suspected gang members enter a vehicle armed with shotguns. After a short pursuit 2 of the 3 suspects fled on foot into a marshy area to avoid capture. This article does an outstanding job of reporting on this incident. The Cook County Sheriff's Police department has a shared agreement with the Chicago Police Helicopter Unit. Chicago Police own and operate a Bell 206 and a Bell 206L4 turbine powered helicopters.
Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff's helicopter crew spots fleeing murder suspect. The flight crew spotted the suspect's vehicle at about 0530 hours near Deland Florida, and followed it until ground units could get in position to conduct a traffic stop. Volusia County is home to famous Daytona Beach. The Volusia County Sheriff's Department operates three turbine powered Bell 407 helicopters.
Prince George's County (Maryland) Police Helicopter makes emergency landing. The helicopter landed without damage or injuries near an elementary school in south east Washington. The pilot made the decision to land the helicopter after a "caution-warning" light illuminated in the cockpit. The helicopter pictured was an MD Notar (no tail rotor) possibly a 520N.
U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and crew pluck two F/A-18 pilots from the Atlantic Ocean. The two U.S. Marine Corps Airmen were forced to eject after their engines lost power and caught fire while on a training mission. The incident occurred approximately 35 miles off the shore of South Carolina. Both men were waiting in a survival raft when the Coast Guard helicopter arrived to pick them up. No injuries were reported.
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.comon 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.