Short video of Sheriff's helicopter

[xnvyflyer]

A deputy ran to his patrol unit and caught the second half of our boondoggle on Palomar Mountain last week using a digital camera.

Thankfully, nobody was in the car at the bottom of the canyon. Just a stolen.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sheriff+MD-500&search=Search

 

[llnick2001]

Good stuff thanks for sharing. Did you have to walk a normal beat before getting into the air unit or did you just go right into flying for the sheriff?

 

[xnvyflyer]

Good stuff thanks for sharing. Did you have to walk a normal beat before getting into the air unit or did you just go right into flying for the sheriff?

The usual progression after the academy is jail or courts for 2-5 years, patrol 2-5 years, a specialized assignment (ie detective, SWAT, backgrounds, academy instructor) and then you are looked at for our unit. There are many roads to get there.

Nobody goes right into the flying part. It is important to the unit that new hires are good patrol deputies first and foremost.

Good question.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

The usual progression after the academy is jail or courts for 2-5 years, patrol 2-5 years, a specialized assignment (ie detective, SWAT, backgrounds, academy instructor) and then you are looked at for our unit. There are many roads to get there.

Nobody goes right into the flying part. It is important to the unit that new hires are good patrol deputies first and foremost.

Good question.

I'm guessing this is specific to your Sheriff's department?

 

[Flash]

I'm guessing this is specific to your Sheriff's department?

Many Police Department's have the same rules, Maryland State Troopers who fly (just the medics now, they switched to contract pilots) generally have to do the regular Trooper thing for a while before flying.

http://www.mspaviation.org/frames.asp

 

[llnick2001]

I'm sure each department is different. I was curious because I had been talking to an instructor who was considering flying for a department in the St. Louis area, and he had said he'd have to be a "regular" (for lack of a better word) cop first.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Many Police Department's have the same rules, Maryland State Troopers who fly (just the medics now, they switched to contract pilots) generally have to do the regular Trooper thing for a while before flying.

http://www.mspaviation.org/frames.asp

I'm not talking about having to do patrol duty before getting a flying gig. I would imagine that is pretty standard across the board. But doing the jail or courts? Around here, the "not so good" deputies get the courts or jail.

 

[Flash]

I'm not talking about having to do patrol duty before getting a flying gig. I would imagine that is pretty standard across the board. But doing the jail or courts? Around here, the "not so good" deputies get the courts or jail.

Oh, didn't know you were asking about that specifically.......

 

[phrogdriver]

I understand the concept behind requiring police pilots to serve on the ground first, but at the same time I think they are probably shutting off a large portion of the talent pool. I imagine there are plenty of former military pilots (probably myself someday), who'd love to fly for law enforcement, but who aren't going to join just to drive a patrol car with no reasonable assurance of getting aviation.

I'd definitely accept going to that dept's academy, maybe even some sort of 1 year probationary street assignment, but I'd never try to apply to a PD for just the potential of someday going aviation. The concept of every officer having worked a beat seems to mirror the Corps' "every Marine a rifleman" slogan, but even the Corps only makes all its pilots go to TBS, not spend a whole fleet tour with the grunts.

 

[Flash]

I understand the concept behind requiring police pilots to serve on the ground first, but at the same time I think they are probably shutting off a large portion of the talent pool. I imagine there are plenty of former military pilots (probably myself someday), who'd love to fly for law enforcement, but who aren't going to join just to drive a patrol car with no reasonable assurance of getting aviation.

I'd definitely accept going to that dept's academy, maybe even some sort of 1 year probationary street assignment, but I'd never try to apply to a PD for just the potential of someday going aviation. The concept of every officer having worked a beat seems to mirror the Corps' "every Marine a rifleman" slogan, but even the Corps only makes all its pilots go to TBS, not spend a whole fleet tour with the grunts.

I think this is the exact reason MD went to contract pilots. With the quals needed, I am not sure that many experienced helo pilots would join just for a 'maybe' in a few years......

 

[scoober78]

but who aren't going to join just to drive a patrol car with no reasonable assurance of getting aviation.

And in an interesting twist of fate...thousands of Naval Aviators find themselves asking....

"What % get helos...?"

 

[MasterBates]

It's still 42%

 

[wink]

Lots of agencies are going to contract/civ pilots, as long as the Observer/Tactical Flight Officer has the law enforcement experience. There is debate about how wise that is, but as usual, money is driving it. My agency has one civ pilot that serves as chief instructor, but does fly law enforcement missions, and one retired law enforcement pilot hired as a civilian. The rest are deputies. We also have three former military pilots that fly as volunteers. Only one has any law enforcement training, and that doesn't come to the level of "certified" law officer. None of them ever flew full time for a law enforcement agency before.

BTW, our Sheriff's Office doesn't send deputies to the jail as a first time assignment. All our jail personnel are professional detention officers. Going to the jail first as a new hire deputy is common at many Sheriff's Offices. I think most deputies don't care for that. It does teach you valuable skills about how to deal with force issues without easy back up or weapons. It also makes you a better read of the criminal mind. I have worked in the jail a few times. I didn't much care for.

 

[xnvyflyer]

I'm guessing this is specific to your Sheriff's department?

As Flash just said, many, but not all, require at least patrol experience before working in an air unit. The thought is, in order to do the job from the air, you need to be able to do it from the ground. Knowing what the ground guys are doing and what they need is part of being effective.

Some agencies employ non-law enforcement personnel to do the flying, and the officer/deputy does the law enforcement (LE) side of it. The way we work and San Diego PD as well, is we are a tactical two-man team. Two heads working together to come up with the best solution to the problem. Of course the pilot's primary job is always the safe operation of the helicopter.

More often than you might think we land to take law enforcement action. Another reason for having two LE guys in the aircraft.

 

[xnvyflyer]

I'm not talking about having to do patrol duty before getting a flying gig. I would imagine that is pretty standard across the board. But doing the jail or courts? Around here, the "not so good" deputies get the courts or jail.

For us there are two separate career paths. Corrections or Law Enforcement. In the beginning though, even the lae enforcement guys work in the jail or courts depending on what the needs of the department are.

As far as "not so good," who am I to say...hint.