Police aviation explained

Police aviation should not be confused with Air Police.

Police aviation is the use of aircraft in police operations. Police services commonly use aircraft for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and control of large-scale public events and/or public order incidents. They may employ rotary-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, nonrigid-wing aircraft or lighter-than-air aircraft. In some major cities, police rotary-wing aircraft are also used as air transportation for personnel belonging to SWAT-style units. In large, sparsely populated areas, fixed-wing aircraft are sometimes used to transport personnel and equipment.

History

The first police aviation department was established in New York City.[1] Fixed-wing aircraft have generally been replaced by more versatile rotary-wing aircraft since the late 1940s. However, fixed-wing aircraft are still used in some missions, such as border patrol, as their higher speed and greater operating altitude allow larger areas to be covered.

In 1921, the British airship R33 was used to help the police with traffic control around horse racing events at Epsom and Ascot.[2]

A large mural on the side of St. George's Town Hall in the East End of London depicting the 1936 Battle of Cable Street public order incident includes the police autogyro,[3] that was present during the incident, overhead.[4] [5]

Rotary-wing aircraft

The most common form of police rotary-wing aircraft is the helicopter, but other types of rotary-wing aircraft such as autogyros are also used.[6] [7] [8] The Groen Hawk 4 autogyro was used during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.[9]

Police rotary-wing aircraft are sometimes equipped to perform multiple functions, or are designed so that equipment can be changed quickly when required for divergent roles. For example, a rotary-wing aircraft could be used for search-and-rescue, and then as an air ambulance.[10]

Police forces sometimes use military surplus rotary-wing aircraft, such as the Bell UH-1 Huey.[11] Some policing organisations, such as the Policía Federal in Mexico, acquire new military rotary-wing aircraft such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.[12] However, most buy civilian rotary-wing aircraft directly from major aircraft companies[13] or lease them from specialty suppliers.[14]

The use of police helicopters by the Los Angeles Police Department has been criticized for causing excessive noise and pollution and harming the well-being of community members.[15]

Fixed-wing and nonrigid-wing aircraft

Some police air units also use fixed-wing aircraft, which allow higher and quieter surveillance, making it less likely that suspects will become aware they are being watched. A few police air units, such as the Northern Territory Police in Australia, use only fixed-wing aircraft.[16] [17] The use of fixed-wing aircraft also allows for longer flying times and incurs lower running costs.[18] Fixed-wing aircraft are also used to transport prisoners, with the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (nicknamed "Con Air")[19] perhaps being the largest example of this use. Fixed-wing aircraft are also used to provide regular police patrols in remote communities and to transport investigators to remote crime scenes. Light-sport aircraft[20] and powered parachutes[21] [22] [23] can sometimes be used to provide a cost-effective replacement for helicopters in the observation platform role.

The Edgley Optica was a British fixed-wing aircraft built for observation use and was used by the Hampshire Constabulary[24] as an alternative to rotary-wing aircraft.[25] The Britten-Norman Defender is used by the Greater Manchester Police,[26] the Police Service of Northern Ireland[27] and the Garda Síochána.[26] The FBI deployed one Britten-Norman Defender for electronic aerial surveillance at the Branch Davidian compound during the Waco siege in 1993.[28] In Greater London, the Metropolitan Police Service has, for a number of years, reportedly been secretly using Cessna aircraft that have been fitted with surveillance equipment capable of intercepting mobile telephone calls and listening in on conversations.[29]

Lighter-than-air aircraft

Police blimps were used to patrol the sky during the 2004 Republican National Convention,[30] the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The blimp Santos-Dumont, named for Alberto Santos-Dumont, operates in the Caribbean for the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad & Tobago (SAUTT), providing security surveillance. During April 2009, this blimp provided aerial surveillance of the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain. Greater Manchester Police began trial operations of a blimp in 2010 to provide surveillance for major events, which would be a cheaper alternative to the use of a helicopter in the long term. However, the blimp was only used on 18 occasions because of weather-related operational problems.[31]

Unmanned aerial vehicles

See main article: Use of UAVs in law enforcement. Police in some areas have started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for surveillance operations.[32] [33] Unmanned aerial vehicles come in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types.

List of police aviation units

Cyprus
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Ireland
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Oman
Panama
Philippines
Serbia
South Africa

United States

Many local, state, and federal US law enforcement agencies operate helicopters, and some operate fixed-wing aircraft.

Federal agencies
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Maryland
Nevada
New York
Oregon

South Dakota

Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

Disbanded police aviation units

Border guards and customs services

Italy

Maritime law enforcement agencies

Iceland
Italy

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Fixed Wing Aircraft in Law Enforcement. Lawofficer.com. Lt. Kenneth J. Solosky. January 3, 2003. 2012-04-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20130130052212/http://www.lawofficer.com/article/patrol/fixed-wing-aircraft-law-enforc. January 30, 2013. dead.
  2. Web site: R33 - G F A A G 1916- 1921 : Early Life. The Airship Heritage Trust. June 30, 2012.
  3. Web site: The Battle of Cable Street mural, Shadwell. London Mural Preservation Society . 2012-04-19.
  4. Web site: How the East was won . The working life of Museum of London. Museum staff. October 4, 2011. Museum of London. 2012-04-19.
  5. Book: British fascism and the measures taken against it by the British State. 4. David Botsford. Libertarian Alliance. 1-85637-397-5. 1998. 2012-04-19.
  6. Web site: Tomball Police Equipped with Gyroplane . 2012-04-17.
  7. Web site: Flying the Police Aircraft of the Future . Wired.com . 2012-04-19 . 2011-09-13.
  8. Web site: Police Aviation News April 2011 p4 . 2012-04-19.
  9. Web site: Olympic Security Aided by Groen Brothers' Hawk . 2012-04-17.
  10. Web site: allAfrica.com: Namibia: Air Wing to Cost Police Million . 2012-04-19.
  11. Web site: Photo of the UH-1H at the Airliners.net . 2012-04-17.
  12. Web site: Police Aviation News February 2011 p7 . 2012-04-17.
  13. Web site: AgustaWestland Awarded Contract by the Maryland State Police Aviation Command. 2012-04-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20101024091155/http://www.agustawestland.com/news/agustawestland-awarded-contract-maryland-state-police-aviation-command. 2010-10-24. dead.
  14. Web site: UK Emergency Aviation - Aircraft Providers & Maintenance - Bond Air Services . 2012-04-17.
  15. Web site: Samuelson . Arielle . The environmental terrorism of police choppers . 2023-05-04 . heated.world . en.
  16. Web site: Police Aviation News February 2011 p2 . 2012-04-17.
  17. Web site: Pilatus Aircraft Enthusiasts - NT Police . 2012-04-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120320093227/http://pilatus-enthusiasts.com.au/NTPolice.html . 2012-03-20 .
  18. Web site: Airplanes are still a vital tool in law enforcement . 2012-04-19.
  19. Web site: Con Air: America's High-Flying Paddy Wagon . Usmarshals.gov . 2004-06-03 . 2012-03-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207220129/http://www.usmarshals.gov/jpats/conair.htm . 2012-02-07 .
  20. News: California Sheriff Adds Light Sport Airplane To Fleet - Autopia - Wired.com . 2012-04-19 . Jason . Paur . 2011-09-08.
  21. Web site: Powered Parachute . Riponpd.org . 2012-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120729002647/http://www.riponpd.org/Units/SubPage/Powered-Parachute.html . 2012-07-29 .
  22. Web site: Paragliders Give Cops an Eye in the Sky . . 2012-04-21.
  23. Web site: Powered Parachute takes crime-fighting to new heights . 2012-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120117224440/http://articles.wdbj7.com/2011-10-10/parachute_30265406 . 2012-01-17 .
  24. 30 August 1986 . No cause found for Optica crash. . 54 . 2012-04-16 .
  25. Web site: About the Hampshire Police Air Support Unit at Lee on Solent . 2012-04-20 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329044448/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Daedalus/Police.html . 2012-03-29 .
  26. Web site: UK Emergency Aviation - UK & Ireland Police Helicopter Operations A-M . 2012-04-16.
  27. Web site: UK Emergency Aviation - UK & Ireland Police Helicopter Operations N-Z . 2012-04-16.
  28. FBI brings out secret electronics weapons as Waco siege drags on, by James Adams. The Sunday Times, p. 23, 21 March 1993
  29. News: Met Police spends millions of pounds on secret aircraft . https://web.archive.org/web/20111030112456/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8857517/Met-Police-spends-millions-of-pounds-on-secret-aircraft.html . dead . 2011-10-30 . 2012-04-17 . The Daily Telegraph . Jason . Lewis . Andy . Blackmore . 2011-10-29 . London.
  30. News: Authorities are planning to employ a corporate blimp as an alternative intelligence gathering tool during next week's Republican National Convention in New York City . 2012-04-16 . CNN . 2004-08-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110811110729/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-08-25/politics/nypd.fujiblimp_1_blimp-law-enforcement-convention-coverage?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS . 2011-08-11 .
  31. News: GMP's £80,000 police spy blimp is grounded - by the Manchester weather . Manchester Evening News . 11 November 2010.
  32. Web site: New Police Drone Near Houston Could Carry Weapons . 2012-04-17.
  33. News: Police employ Predator drone spy planes on home front . 2012-04-17 . Los Angeles Times . Brian . Bennett . 2011-12-10.
  34. Web site: POLAIR - News, videos and community information from the Queensland Police Service Polair unit. 2020-11-10. POLAIR. en-AU.
  35. Web site: Police. Western Australia. Police Air Wing. 2020-11-10. Western Australia Police. en.
  36. Web site: Mission possible: Austrian Police Air Support. 2020-11-16. Vertical Mag. en-US.
  37. Web site: Αστυνομία Κύπρου. 2020-11-16. www.police.gov.cy. el.
  38. Web site: Government Flying Service - Service & Operation. 2020-11-16. www.gfs.gov.hk.
  39. Web site: Police Air Support Unit. 2020-11-10. www.phoenix.gov. en-US.
  40. Web site: Office of Air Operations. 2020-11-10. www.chp.ca.gov.
  41. Web site: Air Support Division - Los Angeles Police Department. 2020-11-06. www.lapdonline.org.
  42. Web site: Denver police are trading their helicopter for a new $5 million chopper . Andrew Kenney . Denverite . 7 August 2018 . 22 July 2022 .
  43. Web site: Denver Police use helicopter to find illegal street races . KUSA.com . 19 March 2021 . 22 July 2022 .
  44. Web site: AVIATION UNIT — Marion County Sheriff's Office . Marion County Sheriff's Office . 22 July 2022 .
  45. Web site: Specialized Units - Baltimore County . rgilley . baltimorecountymd.gov . 7 July 2022 . 22 July 2022 .
  46. Web site: Hot, High & Heavy . heliopsmag.com . 12 December 2018 . 22 July 2022 . The newest addition to the LVMPD aircraft fleet is an Airbus H145, making the department the first law enforcement agency in the continental US to operate the type .
  47. Web site: Air Unit Clackamas County . clackamas.us . 22 July 2022 .
  48. Web site: Air Support Unit. 22 July 2022 .
  49. Web site: Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife- Aviation Unit . ALL THINGS OSP . 22 July 2022 .
  50. Web site: Highway Patrol Aircraft SD DPS . 2024-01-27 . dps.sd.gov . en.
  51. Web site: DPS helicopter flights up; budget falls flat . Ryan . MacKenzie . KUTV . 24 August 2020 . 22 July 2022 . Utah Highway Patrol's Aero Bureau .
  52. Web site: Aviation Division - Virginia State Police . Virginia State Police . 22 July 2022 .
  53. Web site: Fairfax 1 Police . 2022-10-03 . www.fairfaxcounty.gov.
  54. Web site: 16.060 - King County Sheriff's Office Air Support Unit - Police Manual seattle.gov . seattle.gov . 22 July 2022 .
  55. Web site: Air support (helicopter) unit - King County . kingcounty.gov . 22 July 2022 .
  56. Web site: Air Operations Pierce County, WA - Official Website . piercecountywa.gov . 22 July 2022 .
  57. Web site: Snohomish Co Sheriff's K9 units, specialty units move to patrol because of staff shortages . Phan . Suzanne . Reporter . KOMO News . KOMO . 22 July 2022 .
  58. Web site: Air Support Unit Spokane County, WA . spokanecounty.org . 22 July 2022 .
  59. Web site: Bureaus - WSP . admin . WSP . 22 July 2022 . The Special Operations Division is the Aviation Section and the Executive Services Section. The Division also oversees the Awards Committee. .
  60. Web site: Wisconsin State Patrol Air Support Unit . wsp.wi.gov . 22 July 2022 .
  61. Web site: U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron is Sea-Going Drug Smuggler's Worst Nightmare. 2020-11-16. spacecoastdaily.com.

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