Law Enforcement

To Protect & Serve

Today’s police are tasked with everything from catching aggressive drivers to stopping terrorists from entering the country. To catch criminals, our police and law enforcement agencies use General Aviation (GA) in virtually all of its forms.

From ultralights to helicopters to airplanes to business jets, GA allows police to monitor, track, pursue, and intercept everything from neighborhood gangs to international drug kingpins.

Airborne Patrol & Pursuit

Airborne patrolling gives police a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in and around our cities, or along our nation’s borders and coastlines. When needed, ground units can ask their counterparts in the air to help patrol large events.

And when the criminals try to flee, the police can track them from the air.

Border Patrol & Counterinsurgency

Border patrol was once largely a matter of controlling drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Today, it’s a primary means of keeping terrorists from penetrating the United States.

Helicopters, airplanes, blimps, and jets are used to support the monitoring, tracking, pursuit, and interception of people trying to enter or leave the country illegally.

Surveillance

Airborne surveillance can allow police covertly to monitor the behavior and actions of criminals.

Evidence Gathering

Video tapes and images taken by infrared cameras from airborne platforms can make the difference between a solid conviction in court or a lost case because of a lack of evidence.

Rapid Response Teams

When trouble strikes in unknown ways, law enforcement agencies can deliver their best teams to the hot zone by air. Whether that means using a helicopter for urban assault squads or using the community airport to launch an airplane load of sheriff’s deputies, the delivery of rapid response teams can save lives.

Search & Rescue

When someone is lost such as a child or elderly person, helicopters and airplanes are used to help search for the missing and bring them home.

When an injured hiker, mountain climber, or boater needs to be rescued, aircraft and helicopters often are dispatched to transport them for medical treatment.

Airborne search and rescue operations are not the exclusive responsibility of government agencies. Volunteers using their own aircraft, flying under the direction of appropriate authorities, conduct many search and rescue missions.

Outdoor Event Management

Large events that attract hundreds of thousands of people require airborne monitoring and police patrols.

These event management flights can be used to spot problems with pedestrian or vehicle traffic flows, to provide security against criminal or terrorist threats, or to help evacuate people who become ill or are injured during the event.

Emergency Evacuation

When floodwaters threaten, an earthquake strikes, or a fire rages, law enforcement agencies can use their aircraft and helicopters to evacuate residents that are in danger — they might need to be rescued from rooftops, hillsides, or canyons.

Airborne Tracking of Stolen Cars

Urban police units can track stolen vehicles from the air. This helps to speed the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of car thieves and chop-shop operators.

Your Personal Use of GA

The next time you see a police helicopter, hear about a major drug bust, or learn that a border patrol stopped illegal activity, think about how General Aviation (GA) is used to help law enforcement officials protect the country.