Police aviation

Last updated
A Eurocopter AS365 N3 Dauphin 2 of the Victoria Police Air Wing. Victoria Police (CHC Helicopters Australia) Eurocopter AS-365N-3 Dauphin 2 Vabre.jpg
A Eurocopter AS365 N3 Dauphin 2 of the Victoria Police Air Wing.

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.

Contents

An EC135 P2+ operated by the Surf Life Saving Queensland Aviation for the Queensland Police Service Queensland Police Service Eurocopter EC135 P2+.jpg
An EC135 P2+ operated by the Surf Life Saving Queensland Aviation for the Queensland Police Service

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 [1] Fixed-wing aircraft have generally been replaced by more versatile rotary-wing aircraft since the late 1940s.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. [1]

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

A Groen Hawk 4 of the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command Utah Olympics Hawk 4.jpg
A Groen Hawk 4 of the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command

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

A U.S. Marshal on a "JPATS" flight. Conair-Marshal.jpg
A U.S. Marshal on a "JPATS" flight.

Some police air units also use fixed-wing aircraft, which allow higher and quieter surveillance, [1] 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, [1] 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. [17] [18] 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

A Skyship 600 used for observation by the NYPD during the RNC in 2004 RNC 2004 police airship.jpg
A Skyship 600 used for observation by the NYPD during the RNC in 2004

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. [31] 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. [32] 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. [33]

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Police in some areas have started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for surveillance operations. [34] [35] Unmanned aerial vehicles come in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types.

List of police aviation units

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
An EC 135 of the German Federal Police Landeanflug EC135 (cropped).jpg
An EC 135 of the German Federal Police
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
An MBB Bo 105 of Spain's Cuerpo Nacional de Policia Jornadas Policiales de Vigo, 22-28 de junio de 2012 (7420043610).jpg
An MBB Bo 105 of Spain's Cuerpo Nacional de Policía
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

United States

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

Federal agencies
Arizona
California
An LAPD Bell 206 Jetranger LAPD Bell 206 Jetranger.jpg
An LAPD Bell 206 Jetranger
Colorado
Florida
Maryland
Nevada
New York
Oregon

South Dakota

Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

Disbanded police aviation units

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Border guards and customs services

Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Maritime law enforcement agencies

A Piaggio P-180 of the Guardia Costiera Guardia Costiera Piaggio P-180 Avanti II.jpg
A Piaggio P-180 of the Guardia Costiera
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of the United States.svg  United States

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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  3. ↑ "The Battle of Cable Street mural, Shadwell". London Mural Preservation Society. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  4. ↑ Museum staff (October 4, 2011). "How the East was won". The working life of Museum of London. Museum of London. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
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  46. ↑ "AVIATION UNIT — Marion County Sheriff's Office". Marion County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
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  48. ↑ "Hot, High & Heavy". heliopsmag.com. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 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
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  50. ↑ "Air Support Unit" . Retrieved 22 July 2022.
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