# Police aviation

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 SWAT-style units. In large, sparsely populated areas, fixed-wing aircraft are sometimes used to transport personnel and equipment.

## History

The first police aviation department was established in New York City. Fixed-wing aircraft have generally been replaced by more versatile rotary-wing aircraft since the late 1940s.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.
In 1921, the British airship R33 was used to help the police with traffic control around horse racing events at Epsom and Ascot.
A large mural on the side of St. George's Town Hall in the East End of London depicting the 1936 Battle of Cable Street public order incident includes the police autogyro, that was present during the incident, overhead.

## Rotary-wing aircraft

The most common form of police rotary-wing aircraft is the helicopter, but other types of rotary-wing aircraft such as autogyros are also used. The Groen Hawk 4 autogyro was used during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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.
Police forces sometimes use military surplus rotary-wing aircraft, such as the Bell UH-1 Huey. Some policing organisations, such as the Policía Federal in Mexico, acquire new military rotary-wing aircraft such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. However, most buy civilian rotary-wing aircraft directly from major aircraft companies or lease them from specialty suppliers.
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.

## Fixed-wing and nonrigid-wing aircraft

Some police air units also use fixed-wing aircraft, which allow higher and quieter surveillance, 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. The use of fixed-wing aircraft also allows for longer flying times and incurs lower running costs. Fixed-wing aircraft are also used to transport prisoners, with the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (nicknamed "Con Air") 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. Light-sport aircraft and powered parachutes can sometimes be used to provide a cost-effective replacement for helicopters in the observation platform role.
The Edgley Optica was a British fixed-wing aircraft built for observation use and was used by the Hampshire Constabulary as an alternative to rotary-wing aircraft. The Britten-Norman Defender is used by the Greater Manchester Police, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Síochána. The FBI deployed one Britten-Norman Defender for electronic aerial surveillance at the Branch Davidian compound during the Waco siege in 1993. In Greater London, the Metropolitan Police Service has, for a number of years, reportedly been secretly using Cessna aircraft that have been fitted with surveillance equipment capable of intercepting mobile telephone calls and listening in on conversations.

## Lighter-than-air aircraft

Police blimps were used to patrol the sky during the 2004 Republican National Convention, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. 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. 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.

## Unmanned aerial vehicles

Police in some areas have started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for surveillance operations. Unmanned aerial vehicles come in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types.

## List of police aviation units
### Active units

Australia
* New South Wales Police Force Aviation Command
* Queensland Police Service (operated through Surf Life Saving Queensland Aviation)
* South Australia Police
* Victoria Police Air Wing
* Western Australia Police Air Wing
* Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania

#### Austria

* Air Police (Flugpolizei) of the Directorate General for Public Security

#### Canada

* Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Air Services branch
* Durham Regional Police Service - Air Support Unit
* Regina Police Service - Aerial Support Unit
* Saskatoon Police Service - Air Support Unit
* York Regional Police - Air Support Unit

#### China

* People's Police Aviation Unit
* People’s Armed Police Aviation Unit

#### Cyprus

* Cyprus Police Aviation Unit

#### France

* National Gendarmerie Forces aériennes de la Gendarmerie

#### Germany

* Federal Police - Bundespolizei-Flugdienst (BPOLFLD)
* Baden-Württemberg State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Bavarian State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Berlin State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Brandenburg State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Hamburg State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Hesse State Police - Polizeifliegerstaffel
* Lower Saxony State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state maritime police, the Wasserschutzpolizei - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* North Rhine-Westphalia State Police - Polizeifliegerstaffel
* Rhineland-Palatinate State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Saxony State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Saxony-Anhalt State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel
* Thuringia State Police - Polizeihubschrauberstaffel

#### Hong Kong

* Hong Kong Government Flying Service

#### Indonesia

* Indonesian National Police Marine and Air Corps - Air Police Directorate

#### Iran

* Iranian Police Aviation

#### Ireland

* Garda Air Support Unit

#### Japan

* Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Aviation Unit

#### Malaysia

* Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing Unit

#### Mexico

* Mexico City Police Condor Group

#### Netherlands

* Police Aviation Service

#### New Zealand

* Eagle Helicopter Unit

#### North Macedonia

* Macedonian police helicopter unit

#### Oman

* Royal Oman Police - Police Aviation Directorate

#### Panama

* National Aeronaval Service

#### Philippines

* Philippine National Police Air Unit

#### Romania

* General Inspectorate of Aviation

#### Saudi Arabia

* General Directorate of Public Security Aviation Command

#### Serbia

* Police of Serbia Helicopter Unit

#### South Africa

* South African Police Service Air Wing

#### South Korea

* National Police Agency Aviation Division

#### Taiwan

* National Airborne Service Corps

#### Uganda

* Uganda Police Force Air Wing

#### United Kingdom

* National Police Air Service
* Police Scotland Air Support Unit
* Police Service of Northern Ireland Air Support Unit

#### United States of America

Many local, state, and federal US law enforcement agencies operate helicopters, and some operate fixed-wing aircraft.

#### Federal agencies

* Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System Air Operations Division
* State Department Air Wing
* United States Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Aviation Management
* United States Park Police Aviation Unit

#### Arizona

* Phoenix Police Department Air Support Unit

#### California

* California Highway Patrol Office of Air Operations
* LAPD Air Support Division
* Los Angeles County Sheriff's Aero Bureau

#### Colorado

* Denver Police Department Air Support Unit

#### Connecticut

* Connecticut State Police - Emergency Services Unit - Aviation Section
* New Milford Police Aviation Unit

#### Delaware

* Delaware State Police Aviation Section

#### District of Columbia

* Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit

#### Florida

* Florida Highway Patrol Aviation Unit
* Alachua County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Collier County Sheriff's Office Aviation
* Bay County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Brevard County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Broward County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Citrus County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Collier County Sheriff's Office Aviation Bureau
* Escambia Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Hernando County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Aviation Section
* Indian River County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Lake County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Lakeland Police Department Aviation Unit
* Lee County Sheriff's Office Aviation
* Leon County Sheriff's Office Aviation Section
* Manatee County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Marion County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit - at least four helicopters
* Martin County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Miami Police Department Aviaton Unit
* Miami-Dade Police Department Air Support Unit
* Monroe County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Orange County Sheriff's Office Aviation Section
* Osceola County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Pasco County Sheriff's Office Aviation Section
* Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Flight Unit
* Polk County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office Air Unit
* Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Seminole County Sheriff's Office Aviation
* St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Sumter County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Tampa Police Department Aviation
* Volusia County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit "Air One"
* West Palm Beach Police Department Air Support Unit

#### Maine

* Maine State Police Air Wing - 2 Cessna 183 fixed-wing aircraft
* Maine Forest Service Forest Protection Aviation Branch - 2 Bell 407 helicopters, 5 UH-1H (Huey) helicopters, and 3 fixed-wing aircraft
* Maine Marine Patrol - 1 Kodiak 100 fixed-wing aircraft
* Maine Warden Service Aviation Division - 3 fixed-wing aircraft

#### Maryland

* Maryland State Police Aviation Command
* Anne Arundel County Police Aviation Unit
* Baltimore Police Aviation Unit
* Baltimore County Police Department: 3 AS350B3 helicopters
* Prince George's County Police Aviation Section

#### Massachusetts

* Massachusetts State Police Air Wing

#### Nevada

* Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Air Support Unit

#### New Hampshire

* New Hampshire State Police Special Enforcement Unit (SEU)

#### New Jersey

* New Jersey State Police - Special Operations Section - Aviation Bureau

#### New York

* New York State Police Aviation Unit
* Erie County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* NYPD Aviation Unit
* New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police Aviation Unit
* Nassau County Police Department Aviation Unit
* Niagara County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Suffolk County Police Department Aviation Section
* Westchester County Police Aviation Unit

#### North Carolina

* North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Air Wing
* North Carolina Highway Patrol Aviation
* North Carolina Marine Patrol Aviation
* Brunswick County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Robeson County Sheriff's Office Aviation Division
* Wayne County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit

#### Ohio

* Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Section
* Cleveland Police Department Aviation Unit

#### Oregon

* Oregon State Police Aviation Unit - four fixed-wing Cessnas
* Clackamas County Sheriff Air Support Unit - one Cessna 182
* Portland Police Air Support Unit
* Washington County (Oregon) Police Air Support Unit - a single Cessna R172, N575RW

#### Pennsylvania

* Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations Aviation Units
* Philadelphia Police Aviation Unit

#### Puerto Rico

* Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Action
* Puerto Rico Natural Resources Ranger Corps Aerial Patrol

#### South Carolina

* Anderson County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Greenville County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
* Richland County Aviation
* Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit

#### South Dakota

* South Dakota Highway Patrol Aviation Unit - One Cessna T206

#### Tennessee

* Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations
* Jackson Police Department Aviation Unit
* Memphis Police Department Air Support Unit
* Metro Nashville Aviation Section

#### Texas

* Texas Department of Public Safety Aircraft Section
* Austin Police Department Air Enforcement Unit
* Bell County Regional Air Support Unit
* Dallas Police Department Helicopter Unit
* El Paso Police Department Aviation Unit
* Fort Worth Police Air Support Unit
* Houston Police Department Helicopter Patrol Unit
* San Antonio Police Helicopter Detail

#### Utah

* Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau (helicopters)
* Utah County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit

#### Virginia

* Virginia State Police 3 airplanes, 7 helicopters
* Cheseapeake Sheriff's Project Lifesaver International Aviation Unit
* Fairfax County Police Department Helicopter Division (two helicopters)
* Henrico County Metro Aviation Unit
* Richmond City Metro Police Aviation Unit
* Richmond Metro Police Aviation Unit
* Virginia Beach Police Department Special Operations Aviation Unit

#### Washington

* Washington State Patrol: Special Operations Division: Aviation Section
* King County Sheriff's Office Air Support (three helicopters)
* Pierce County Sheriff's Department Air Operations - two Cessna 206s
* Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Air Support
* Spokane County Sheriff's Office (three helicopters)

#### West Virginia

* West Virginia State Police Aviation Section

#### Wisconsin

* Wisconsin State Patrol Air Support Unit

### Disbanded units
#### United Kingdom

* Chiltern Air Support Unit
* Western Counties Air Operations Unit

#### United States

* Nevada Highway Patrol Flight Operations
* Port Authority of NY and NJ Police Department Aviation Unit
* Gainesville Police Aviation Unit, Florida

### Border guards and customs services
#### Estonia

* Police and Border Guard Aviation Group

#### Italy

* Air Maritime Exploration Squadron Guardia di Finanza

#### United States

* Customs & Border Protection Air and Marine Operations

### Maritime law enforcement agencies
#### Iceland

* Icelandic Coast Guard Aeronautical Division

#### Italy

* Italian Coast Guard Air Service

#### Spain

* Galician Coast Guard

#### United States

* US Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron