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 police tactical units. In large, sparsely populated areas, fixed-wing aircraft are sometimes used to transport personnel and equipment.
The first police aviation department was established in New York City.[1] Fixed-wing aircraft have generally been replaced by more versatile rotary-wing aircraft since the late 1940s.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 airshipR33 was used to help the police with traffic control around horse racing events at Epsom and Ascot.[2]
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]: 7 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]
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.[12]: 2 [16] The use of fixed-wing aircraft also allows for longer flying times and incurs lower running costs.[17] Fixed-wing aircraft are also used to transport prisoners,[1] with the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (nicknamed "Con Air")[18] 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.[16][17]Light-sport aircraft[19] and powered parachutes[20][21][22] can sometimes be used to provide a cost-effective replacement for helicopters in the observation platform role.
Police blimps were used to patrol the sky during the 2004 Republican National Convention,[29] the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
Unmanned aerial vehicles
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Police in some areas have started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for surveillance operations.[33][34] Unmanned aerial vehicles come in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types.
Kansas Highway Patrol Troop T - Aircraft: 1 Bell 407 helicopter, 1 Airbus H125 helicopter, 1 Cessna 182 RG fixed-wing aircraft, 3 Cessna 206 fixed-wing aircraft, and a 2001 King Air 350 for Executive transport for state officials[96]
Maine
Maine State Police Air Wing[97] - 2 Cessna 183 fixed-wing aircraft
Maine Forest Service Forest Protection Aviation Branch[98] - 2 Bell 407 helicopters, 5 UH-1H (Huey) helicopters, and 3 fixed-wing aircraft
Maine Marine Patrol[99] - 1 Kodiak 100 fixed-wing aircraft[100]
Maine Warden Service Aviation Division[101] - 3 fixed-wing aircraft
Nebraska State Patrol Aviation Support Division: 1 Bell 407 helicopter, 3 Cessna T206H Turbo Stationair fixed-wing aircraft, and 1 Piper Super Cub[107]
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