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| APSA E-Newsletter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In This Issue: APSA’s Virtual UAS Courses Start Next Week – Register Today! Take Part in APSA’s 2020 General Membership Meeting Ready for Some Face-to-Face Training? Join APSA On-The-Road! APSA Offers Final Remote Pilot-in-Command Course for 2020 Free Education Fridays: Live Webinar Series Continues Tune In For Tech Talk Tuesdays Man Arrested After Gunfire Hits Sheriff’s Helicopter Canadian Man Facing Charges for Pointing Laser at Police Plane Houston Police Pilot Honors Partner Killed in Crash Kentucky Man Charged With Pointing Laser at Police Pilots Helicopter Helps Halt Wildfire at California's Mount Baldy U.K.’s NPAS Launches New Drone Pilot Program Continue Networking in APSA’s Meeting Groups SABLE Helicopter Helps Rescue Kayaker Austin City Council Approves Grants for Aviation Unit Prince George’s County Updates Helicopter’s Flight Display System Malaysia Air Wing Training Base Now Functioning as Flight School PolAir Helps Apprehend Suspect Who Shot at Police Polish National Police Receive Mission-Equipped Aircraft Suffolk County Aviation Helps Rescue Stranded Jet Skier Nebraska State Aviation Helps Double Traffic Citations Turkish Police Presented Outstanding Operational Readiness Award by Bell Maryland State Helicopter Completes Hoist Rescue New Zealand Police Helicopter Not Returning to Christchurch Minnesota DNR Uses Helicopter to Attack Invasive Species Dubai Police Launches New Drone Initiatives Northern Ireland Police Helicopter Attacked With Laser Pointer Florida Sheriff’s Pilot Gets Tip From Doorbell Camera Alert Kenya Air Force to Take Over Police Planes Florida County Considers Drones for Faster 911 Response Police Helicopters Cleared of Wrongdoing in Grenfell Tower Fire E-Newsletter Sponsors: APSA Resources: |
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Get Your Organization's News Online Send your press releases, company logos and photos to: Lisa Wright Join Our Mailing List APSA's Monthly E-Newsletters are designed to help keep you informed on the very latest information in the airborne law enforcement industry. Our E-Newsletters are distributed by email, as an additional benefit to our membership. To join our mailing list, you must be a member. If you are not a member of APSA, sign up today! Advertise in APSA's E-Newsletter For rates and availability, contact: Emily Tarr |
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This newsletter is published monthly by the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA), a non-profit Delaware corporation. APSA is comprised of air crew and air support personnel in public safety and others who support, promote, and advance the safe and effective use of aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety operations. © Copyright 2020 by the Airborne Public Safety Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this newsletter in whole or in part without written permission from the Editor is prohibited. Product and corporate names mentioned in this newsletter are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA), its Board of Directors, staff or membership; nor shall their publication imply endorsement on the part of APSA of any content or claims made therein. APSA disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and makes no judgment regarding the accuracy of posted information. In no event will APSA be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages resulting from the publication or any subsequent public distribution thereof. Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. |
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With the hopes of conducting our 4th Annual Public Safety Drone Expo (PSDE) as an in-person event dashed by COVID-19, APSA created the PSDE Online Course Series consisting of four of our most popular sUAS courses. These two-day courses begin next week and are scheduled to run weekly, Wednesdays and Thursdays, through the first week of November. And with lower overhead for virtual meetings, we are able to offer these courses at a reduced rate over previous years. Course registration also includes a one-year complimentary APSA membership for non-members. As an extra special incentive, register for all four courses and get one free!
APSA’s 2020 Annual General Membership Meeting will be held virtually on Monday, Nov. 2 at 4:00 pm EST. Please join us. During the meeting, APSA board and staff members will provide an update on operations and a financial status report; recognize the 2020 APSA Scholarship recipients, the 2020 Air Beat Photo Contest winner, the 2020 Ace Recruiter of the Year, and longtime APSA members (25 years and up); and recap this year's Board of Directors elections. Participating members will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide suggestions. For establishment of a quorum, registration is required. Click 
The Airborne Public Safety Association is pleased to offer two of our most sought-after APSCON courses in person at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, NV. Join us November 30-December 2, 2020, for either our 
APSA’s final Remote Pilot-in-Command (RPIC) Course scheduled for 2020 will be conducted online for four hours a day over two consecutive weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, November 3, 5, 10, and 12.
APSA’s live Webinar Training Series, created to bring many of the classes scheduled for APSCON 2020 directly to you, is continuing to run every Friday through November 20. These 90-minute webinars are offered at no charge as a benefit of membership; however, registration is required. If you know of someone who is not an APSA member and would like to access any of these webinars, they can easily 
APSA is providing our Corporate Members with the opportunity to promote their products and services directly to our membership through our Tech Talk Tuesday Series. Currently scheduled to run through Nov. 24th and beginning at 1:00 pm EDT, these 60-minute presentations are being offered at no charge as a benefit of membership; however, registration is required. For a current listing of Tech Talk Tuesday subjects and presenters and/or to register, 
A 36-year-old man was arrested Sept. 11 after he struck the San Bernardino County (CA) Sheriff’s Office 40King1 helicopter with gunfire. Yucaipa Police Department deputies responded around midnight after someone reported hearing gunfire and seeing the man with a shotgun, a news release said. Arriving deputies said they heard more gunshots. When they ordered the man to surrender, he instead fired at the helicopter. Deputies placed an armored vehicle in front of the home and called on the man to come out. He did, but he was armed with a knife. Soon after, he was arrested.
A Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) Air Support Unit fixed-wing aircraft was targeted by a laser in early September in Canada. The suspect, a 37-year-old man, is facing charges after he was apprehended by ground troops. The aviation crew directed officers to the man’s location, where he was found to be in possession of two lasers. The man is charged with mischief under the Canadian criminal code and projecting a directed bright light source into navigable airspace under the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Following the incident, police reminded the public of the dangers associated with pointing lasers at aircraft.
Houston Police Officer Chase Cormier recently spoke out about the May helicopter crash that killed Officer Jason Knox. Cormier, 35, said he remembers steering the helicopter away from an occupied apartment building to a vacant one. He said he recalls not feeling his legs after the crash and asking whether they’d been severed when firefighters arrived to remove him and Knox from the wreckage. “The only other thing I remember was being told about Jason that night, and that was probably the most difficult thing,” Cormier said.
A Kentucky man is facing federal charges for pointing a laser at Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) helicopter pilots. Prosecutors said the pilots experienced temporary blindness and headaches and were hindered from being able to safely pilot their aircraft. The incident occurred on Sept. 25 while the LMPD helicopter performed surveillance of a vehicle leaving the scene of an alleged burglary. During an FBI investigation, agents determined the origins of the laser and apprehended the suspect.
The Mount Baldy (CA) Fire Department successfully stopped the spread of the Sunset Fire on Mount Baldy on Sept. 11 with help from Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) Air Operations. Videos from the fire department, which can be seen 
The U.K. government has partnered with Israel-based defense electronics company Elbit Systems to research further potential drone uses, some of which might replace manned aircraft operations, for the National Police Air Service (NPAS). NPAS said in mid-September it had carried out “an initial evaluation of remotely piloted aircraft technology” in partnership with Elbit. The agency said it “seeks to explore how this technology might be used to deliver public safety in support of the police forces of England and Wales in the future.” The trial included a series of simulated police aviation scenarios currently fulfilled by the NPAS fleet of helicopters and airplanes.
A North Carolina Southeastern Airborne Law Enforcement (SABLE) helicopter crew helped rescue an elderly man who became “lost and disoriented” while kayaking in early September. When the man was reported missing, the Topsail Beach Police Department responded and used an unmanned aircraft to search the marshes in which he was kayaking but were unable to locate him. Officers requested support from a Pender County Sheriff’s Office water rescue team and the SABLE helicopter. “Within minutes of arrival, Wilmington Command Pilot Jon Gordon and his TFO located the missing man where he was stuck in the marsh and landed…to bring him to safety,” a news release stated.
The Austin (TX) City Council voted on Sept. 4 to approve a state grant that will fund the Austin Police Department (APD) Air Support Unit. The council voted on a grant allocating $157,222 so the city can purchase two mapping systems, a searchlight and other accessories for APD’s helicopters.
Two of Prince Georgeʼs County (MD) Police Department’s helicopters had recent installations of Garmin’s G500H TXI Flight Display System. The latest in electronic glass cockpit instrumentation, the G500H TXi brings increased levels of reliability, adaptability and affordability to helicopter operations. Available in both portrait and landscape options, the system provides bright, crisp touch-screen displays. It allows for use of familiar knobs and/or touch-screen inputs to quickly access the functions, screen views and other flight information the pilot wants to see most prominently. Summit Aviation installed the system on the department’s MD 520N helicopters.
The training base of the Royal Malaysia Police Air Wing has recently been recognized as a full-fledged flight school by the country’s Civil Aviation Authority. Officials said on Sept. 11 that it was the first government agency aviation unit training base in the country to be given such recognition. The base has been in existence for 41 years. “With this recognition, the police force no longer needs to send its pilot trainees overseas or to other private institutions for training,” a spokesperson said. “The government would also be able to save on training costs.”
A Queensland Police helicopter in Australia helped track and arrest a man wanted by police who shot at officers during a high-speed joyride through Brisbane. From the driver's seat of an allegedly stolen vehicle, the man let off a single round from a gun aimed at officers in pursuit. The bullet missed, and the man continued to flee, driving on the wrong side of the road. The PolAir helicopter crew 
The Polish National Police received its new Bell 407 GXi aircraft on Sept. 14, equipped with the latest search and tracking systems and equipment. The Bell 407 GXi is one of three machines that were contracted for in 2019.
A Suffolk County (NY) Police Department Aviation Section helicopter in mid-September located a Long Island man who was stranded for hours after his jet ski became disabled. The 30-year-old was operating a Kawasaki jet ski in the Great South Bay when he struck a sandbar, disabling the vehicle. The man used his cell phone to call 911, but the phone lost battery power shortly after he made the call.
Assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Aviation Support Division, NSP Troop A recently completed an enforcement effort focused on excessive speeding in the Omaha metro area. The Omaha Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office also helped with the weekend operations between July 11 and Aug. 29.
Bell Textron Inc. presented the Turkish National Police with an award for Outstanding Operational Readiness in mid-September. The department operates 14 Bell 429s for its safety and security missions, and the fleet’s operational readiness is above 95 percent. “Operating the Bell 429 has been essential in completing our missions to the best of our ability,” Turkish National Police Chief Inspector Nihat Sirin said. “Bell provides a highly customizable aircraft that meets our critical mission needs.”
Maryland State Police (MSP) Aviation Command’s helicopter Trooper 5 was dispatched on Sept. 20 to a remote hiking trail to help extract an injured hiker deep in the woods. Rescue crews from Oldtown Volunteer Fire Department, District 16 Volunteer Fire Department and Paw Paw Volunteer Fire Department were able to make contact with the injured hiker after they received his 911 call. Due to his injuries, the terrain and the required extrication time, rescue personnel requested the aviation command for a hoist extraction.
The New Zealand Police has elected not to maintain a helicopter unit in Christchurch following a five-week trial program. The state-of-the-art chopper was used over Christchurch from mid-February through March. It attended 346 incidents, ranging from a water rescue to a robbery attempt, and received positive feedback. But a letter from an officer, published in the latest Police News magazine, said the Eagle helicopter would not return full-time. The officer said every individual working with the helicopter found it beneficial. “I know the cost of [the] Eagle is high, but if you offset it with the amount saved in road trauma, plus fewer victims of crashes, burglaries, etc., it pays for itself,” the officer wrote.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) waged an aerial assault on hybrid cattails this summer using an enforcement division helicopter rigged with spraying equipment to hit the plants with herbicide. “This is really declaring war on it, to get up and do the aerial cattail spraying,” said Randy Prachar, manager of Roseau River WMA. “Aerial spraying is the way to go, and with GPS, they’re pretty exact.”
The Dubai Police Unmanned Aerial Systems Centre (UASC), established in 2018, has contracted with Canada-based Draganfly to help the department use technology “to improve the wellbeing of society and operational effectiveness in public safety overall.” Established in 1956, the Dubai Police today says it “aims to develop the best techniques and AI tools that serve the needs of the people and ensure their security, locally and globally.” For example, the department introduced the world’s first smart police station, which operates without human intervention 24/7 and offers 27 services, including reporting crimes and traffic incidents.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) helicopter was attacked with a laser while the aircraft assisted on a search for a missing person in mid-September. The helicopter crew directed ground troops to the suspect, who was arrested. "He will be interviewed and most likely have a court date soon," police said. The Police Federation, which represents PSNI officers, said the behavior was "unbelievably dangerous" and put the lives of officers and the public at risk.
A Seminole County (FL) Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot was on a flight in mid-September when he spotted a group of vehicle burglars—not from the air, but through an alert from his home’s doorbell camera, authorities said. The pilot’s personal Ring camera alerted him of a teen dressed in black clothing attempting to open the passenger door of a white truck parked outside his home on Sept. 14. The teen and another young person were checking for unlocked cars, and the pilot alerted Volusia County authorities. The suspects fled in an SUV when deputies tried to pull them over, but officers later used stop sticks to pop the vehicle’s tires.
The Kenya Police Service is being forced to relinquish management of its helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to the nation’s air force. Officials said President Uhuru Kenyatta would issue an executive order to bring about the changes, which will move all aircraft operated by the Kenya Police, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, KenGen, Kenya Power, Ketraco and other state agencies under Kenya Air Force management.
Manatee County, FL, could be the first in the nation to use unmanned aircraft systems to respond to 911 emergencies, officials said. The county is considering a pilot program in which a drone would deliver medical supplies to people in need quickly, before an ambulance could arrive, according to Jake Saur, Manatee County Public Safety director. A Manatee County Fire-Rescue spokesperson said its average EMS response time in rural areas is up to 20 minutes, and a drone could represent a significant improvement. "If this drone were to drop an AED, NARCAN or a tourniquet, the 911 operator would direct the caller or bystanders on how to use it until EMS arrives," Saur said.
A U.K. police watchdog has cleared the National Police Air Service (NPAS) of accusations its helicopters made the flames at the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire worse and encouraged residents to head to the roof in the hope of rescue. The report said no helicopter came close enough to cause downdraft and fan the catastrophic fire’s flames. It also said no evidence indicated emergency call dispatchers suggested helicopters might be able to rescue residents. The fire at the West London tower killed 72 people in June 2017.
