Police aviation is the use ofaircraft inpolice 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 employrotary-wing aircraft,fixed-wing aircraft,nonrigid-wing aircraft orlighter-than-air aircraft. In some major cities, police rotary-wing aircraft are also used as air transportation for personnel belonging topolice 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The first police aviation department was established inNew York City.[1] Fixed-wing aircraft have generally been replaced by more versatile rotary-wing aircraft since the late 1940s.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 asborder patrol, as their higher speed and greater operating altitude allow larger areas to be covered.[1]
In 1921, the BritishairshipR33 was used to help the police with traffic control around horse racing events atEpsom andAscot.[2]
The first police aviation unit in China, the Wuhan Municipal Public Security Bureau Aviation Squad[6] was established in 1993 in theWuhan municipal public security bureau.[7] As of 2011, China operates a total of 20 police aviation units, with 35 police helicopters and 60 pilots.[7]
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 anair ambulance.[12] They have also been used to perform search and rescue, notably in China afterTropical Storm Bilis.[7]
Police forces sometimes use military surplus rotary-wing aircraft, such as theBell UH-1 Huey.[13] Some policing organisations, such as thePolicía Federal in Mexico, acquire new military rotary-wing aircraft such as theSikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.[14]: 7 However, most buy civilian rotary-wing aircraft directly from major aircraft companies[15] or lease them from specialty suppliers.[16]
The use of police helicopters by theLos Angeles Police Department has been criticized for causing excessive noise and pollution and harming the well-being of community members.[17]
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 theNorthern Territory Police in Australia, use only fixed-wing aircraft.[14]: 2 [18] The use of fixed-wing aircraft also allows for longer flying times and incurs lower running costs.[19] Fixed-wing aircraft are also used to transport prisoners,[1] with theJustice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (nicknamed "Con Air")[20] 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.[18][19]Light-sport aircraft[21] andpowered parachutes[22][23][24] can sometimes be used to provide a cost-effective replacement for helicopters in the observation platform role.
Policeblimps were used to patrol the sky during the2004 Republican National Convention,[31] the1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the2004 Athens Olympic Games.[32] The blimpSantos-Dumont, named forAlberto 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 the5th Summit of the Americas inPort-of-Spain.[33] 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.[34]
Police in some areas have started usingunmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for surveillance operations.[35][36] Unmanned aerial vehicles come in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types.
The examples and perspective in this sectiondeal primarily with the United States and do not represent aworldwide view of the subject. The specific issue is:perhaps listing every single American police force that operates a helicopter is not a good idea. You mayimprove this section, discuss the issue on thetalk page, or create a new section, as appropriate.(April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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[101]
Maine
Maine State Police Air Wing[102] - 2 Cessna 183 fixed-wing aircraft
Maine Forest Service Forest Protection Aviation Branch[103] - 2 Bell 407 helicopters, 5 UH-1H (Huey) helicopters, and 3 fixed-wing aircraft
Maine Marine Patrol[104] - 1 Kodiak 100 fixed-wing aircraft[105]
Maine Warden Service Aviation Division[106] - 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[112]
^abMuseum staff (October 4, 2011)."How the East was won".The working life of Museum of London. Museum of London. Archived fromthe original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved2012-04-19.
^"Hot, High & Heavy".heliopsmag.com. 12 December 2018. Retrieved22 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
^n.a. (15 August 2017)."Bureaus - WSP".WSP. Retrieved22 July 2022.The Special Operations Division is comprised of the Aviation Section and the Executive Services Section. The Division also oversees the Awards Committee.
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