Aerial Support

Aerial Support

The Aerial Support Unit is a unit within the Special Operations Division. The primary responsibility of the Aerial Support Unit is the routine aerial police patrol and emergency response in direct support of Uniformed or Criminal Investigations personnel on the ground.  These responses are accomplished regularly to assist in the location of offenders who have fled from officers on the ground, either on foot or in vehicle, or to aid in the location of elderly or juvenile missing persons.  The Aerial Support Unit also responds to assist other county or governmental agencies requesting aerial assistance. The unit frequently provides county personnel a means by which to survey or photograph crime scenes as well as locate safe avenues of approach for active incidents. On an annual basis the Aerial Support Unit responds to over seven thousand (7,000) of these calls for assistance.

The Aerial Support Unit consists of two (2) state of the art “Eurocopter AS-350 B-2” helicopters.  The helicopters have been equally equipped with the most up to date tracking and surveillance equipment. This equipment includes the “SX-16” 30 million candlepower night-sun, which enables the on-board personnel to literally turn the night into day for ground units.  It’s also equipped with the FLIR 8000, which is a Forward Looking Infrared camera. The camera allows the pilot and tactical flight officer to detect and record the visual signatures produced by body heat that enables them to located individuals concealed in total darkness.  This system also enables the Aerial Support personnel the ability to switch to a high definition, color camera to record daytime events.  “Lojack” trackers are installed on both the aircraft, which allow each helicopter to easily locate and recover stolen vehicles equipped with these locator devices. 

The Aerial Support Unit is the only law enforcement unit in the southeast with chemical monitoring capability and currently the only airborne law enforcement unit in the United States to train and fly in level B protective garments/equipment for chemical monitoring missions. Other capabilities include the use of load bearing platforms for the tactical deployment of personnel to roof top structures and the transport of large equipment too cumbersome to fit the interior of the aircraft. The unit also employs a cargo swing located underneath the aircraft capable of lifting 2,650lbs. The cargo swing is capable of converting to a rescue system for rooftop and flood related rescue operations.     

The Aerial Support Unit’s utilization of the “Eurocopter AS-350 B-2” also facilitates the unit’s ability to take an active role during incidents of mass destruction. The aircraft are utilized to transport personnel consisting of two (2) crew and five (5) passengers, along with heavy equipment, to and from limited access or remote sites. They are also designed and equipped for emergency medical missions. The EMS option provides the county a means to evacuate victims from these critical incident locations as well as from serious accident scenes in order to expedite medical care. 

The personnel that staff the Aerial Support Unit consist primarily of pilots and tactical flight officers (TFO’s) who are sworn police officers.