The Aviation Unit is staffed by police officer
pilots with
FAA commercial licenses. These officers apply their law
enforcement skills to the tactical aspects of aerial
operations and patrol interdiction. Our current aircraft, a
McDonnell-Douglas OH-6 observation helicopter, was
obtained from the military and retrofitted with state-of-the-art
equipment to facilitate aerial tracking and search and
rescue missions. During 2005, the Department
successfully secured funding to purchase a new aircraft. After
(Captain Paul Stasaitis)
considerable research and flight testing, the Bell 407 helicopter
was selected. It is
currently in production with anticipated delivery in September 2006.
The new
aircraft will be a multi-purpose aircraft capable of rescue,
personnel insertion and
extraction, and fire fighting missions. It will also be equipped
with microwave
downlink capabilities, thermal imaging and night vision equipment,
and a thirty
million candle power Night-Sun search light.
In 2005, the Aviation Unit
experienced an 83% increase in activity, largely due to
expanded homeland security and counter-terrorism related
assignments. These
missions were completed during 297 flight hours, an increase of 8%
over 2004, in
support of local, state, and federal agencies.
Training is an essential
component of aviation law enforcement, and the Aviation
Unit trains with other Department of Public Safety specialized units
regularly. This
training insures its mission ready capabilities.
