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APSA's E-Newsletter is designed to bring you the latest on news and events within the public safety aviation community. The E-Newsletter may also be read online here at our website.

APSA Cancels APSCON 2020; Looks Forward to 2021

The Airborne Public Safety Association has cancelled APSCON 2020, previously scheduled for July 20-25 in Houston, TX, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made with input from association members via the APSCON 2020 Survey. “Your responses were instrumental in the APSA Board of Director’s discussion on the future of the event during a recent special meeting of the board,” APSA Executive Director/CEO Daniel Schwarzbach said in the association’s announcement. “Recognizing that the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, instructors and staff are our top concerns and based on information from multiple sources on current and projected factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the board decided it would be impractical to conduct the event as scheduled.”

“This decision was not made lightly, as we very much looked forward to celebrating our 50th annual conference and exposition in the same city where our inaugural event was held,” Schwarzbach said. “Due to the valued, longtime relationship between APSA and the City of Houston, we are exploring the possibilities of conducting APSCON there again in the future.”

In lieu of the conference, APSA has added many APSCON classes to its live Webinar Training Series. More information on the series can be found later in this newsletter and on the APSA website. APSA is also developing a plan to present the courses normally conducted during APSCON live online and researching options for a virtual tradeshow so members can interact with the corporate sponsors registered to exhibit. Information should soon be available via email and the APSA website.

We look forward to interacting with you virtually or at an in-person event later this year, and seeing everyone in New Orleans next year for APSCON 2021, our 50th Annual Conference and Exposition.

APSA’s Remote Pilot-in-Command Courses Available

The Airborne Public Safety Association began offering its Remote Pilot-in-Command (RPIC) Course online via live webinars last month. Based on the success of the May course which was offered for four hours a day over two consecutive weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, APSA has added three (3) more of these 4-hour, 4-session courses for you to take this invaluable training:

• July 7, 9, 14, 16
• September 15, 17, 22, 24
• November 2, 5, 10, 12

If in-person training is what you desire, the 2-day, 8-hr per day RPIC Course in Knox County, TN, scheduled to take place June 25-26, is still a go!

APSA’s RPIC course is designed to provide students with a review of the Federal Aviation Regulations Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification Process and prepare students to pass the FAA Pilot’s Exam. Successful completion requires attendance of all classroom sessions. In addition, three briefings specific to law enforcement use of UAS are conducted. The course is intended for public safety personnel, both sworn and non-sworn, interested in obtaining their FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.

Registration and more information is available on the APSA website.

APSA’s New Webinar Series Finds Early Success

While COVID-19 has forced APSA to temporarily suspend most of its in-person meetings, Training Program Manager Don Roby has worked with instructors to take many of the classes scheduled for APSCON 2020 and create a Webinar Training Series of live 60- to 90-minute webinars for members. The webinars are offered at no charge as a benefit of membership; however, registration is required.

The upcoming scheduled webinars are:

• Friday, June 5—CFI Roundtable and Discussion: Randy Rowles, Helicopter Institute; Bryan Smith, APSA Safety Program Manager, and Ken Solosky, CFII
• Friday, June 12—IIMC: Bryan Smith, APSA Safety Program Manager
• Friday, June 19—Drone Maintenance…Manage it Like an Aircraft!: Mike Broderick
• Friday, June 26—Advanced Drone Tactics: Matthew King, Cass County (ND) Sheriff’s Office

These webinars all begin at 1:00 pm EDT and each requires a separate registration. As instructors confirm, more classes will be added to this series, so to see the most up-to-date schedule and register for any or all of the webinars, please visit the APSA website.

Contra Costa County Fire Added Second Helicopter

The Contra Costa County (CA) Fire Protection District has added a second staffed helicopter to improve its emergency rescue and firefighting capability. The second chopper, put into service in March, was acquired through a partnership with REACH Air Medical Services, a company providing medical air transport in many parts of the western U.S. “This is a huge enhancement to the county for fire season,” Deputy Chief Aaron McAlister said.

In the past, it would have been unusual for a suburban district to operate two firefighting and medical helicopters, but the frequency and ferocity of Northern California wildfires in recent years has changed that. Contra Costa County firefighters who worked the devastating 2017 North Bay wildfires returned home agreeing they had never witnessed such ferocious, unpredictable fire activity. Until 2019, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District reached hard-to-access areas through a cooperative flight program with the local sheriff's office.

SOURCE: www.ktvu.com 

YRP’s Helicopter Struck by Laser Three Times in Three Days

A York Regional Police helicopter in Canada was lased three days in a row in separate incidents while it was flying over residential areas. In video of the incident released by investigators, a green light can be seen flashing from a home. In the video of this May 21 incident, the aircrew can be heard radioing to officers on the ground, who are then seen heading towards a person sitting outside a residence. That 44-year-old male suspect was charged with mischief endangering life, endangering the security of an aircraft in flight under the aviation act and unlawfully projecting a bright light into navigable airspace under the Canadian Aviation Regulation.

The following evening, as the helicopter patrolled another area, it was struck multiple times by a laser pointer. Video footage taken from the Air2 helicopter shows a green light striking the aircraft numerous times from what appears to be a high-rise building. Police said that the 52-year-old suspect, who was believed to be on a hotel balcony, was taken into custody and charged with mischief endangering life, obstructing police, endangering the security of an aircraft in flight under the aviation act and unlawfully projecting a bright light into navigable airspace under the Canadian Aviation Regulation.

On May 23 around 11:30 p.m., the helicopter was hit yet again by a laser while on general patrol. Police say the investigation is ongoing and a suspect has not yet been identified. York Regional Police asked the community if anyone with information about the third incident to contact them.

Source: www.cp24.com 

Member Online Meeting Groups: Network With Your Peers

APSA conducts regularly scheduled online meetings for safety officers, maintenance technicians, SAR personnel, and UAS operators via a conference call you can join using your computer, mobile device or phone. Online meetings are open to any APSA member. Contract maintenance providers to APSA members are welcome to participate in the maintenance meeting as well. To receive meeting information and be added to the mailing list, send an email to safety@publicsafetyaviation.org.

The schedule for upcoming APSA online meetings is as follows:
Safety Officers: Friday, June 5, 2020 from 12:00-1:00 PM EDT (1600 UTC)
SAR: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 1:00–2:00 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
UAS: Wednesday, June 17, 2020 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT (1700 UTC).
Maintenance: Wednesday, July 8, 2020 from 1:00–2:00 PM EDT (1700 UTC)

NTSB Releases Final Report on 2017 Virginia State Helicopter Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on the 2017 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two Virginia State Police troopers. The investigation, spanning multiple years, concluded the pilots’ inability to recover appropriately, in addition to inadequate training, led to the deadly summer crash outside Charlottesville. The 10-page factual report, for which 47 witnesses were interviewed, does not state a specific cause of the crash.

In 2017, Virginia State Troopers Lt. Jay Cullen (who was commander of the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit) and Berke Bates piloted a helicopter on Aug. 12 to provide an aerial feed of activities on the ground during the “Unite the Right” rally. According to the NTSB report, it suggests that the helicopter may have entered the dangerous aerodynamic condition called a vortex ring state causing the helicopter to descend rapidly in the downwash from its own rotor blades and subjected the aircraft to uncommanded pitch and roll.

Recovery from vortex ring state requires exiting the area of vortices, either through the traditional recovery technique of increasing forward airspeed and partially lowering collective, or through the so-called Vuichard recovery technique, which combines lateral cyclic thrust with an increase in power and lateral anti-torque thrust. Cullenʼs colleagues at the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit told investigators that he had exhibited knowledge of both techniques, but investigators could find no record that he had ever received vortex ring state recognition and recovery training in the Bell 407. You can read the full report here. 

SOURCE: www.wric.com and verticalmag.com   

FAA: Laser Strike Incidents Increased in 2019

The Federal Aviation Administration recently released its annual summary of reported laser strikes and showed 6,136 incidents in 2019, about 8 percent higher than the 5,663 strikes in 2018. According to FAA, the availability of inexpensive laser devices in stores and online has contributed to the problem. The newest lasers also have stronger power levels, giving lawbreakers the ability to hit aircraft at higher altitudes. Many of the reports were of green-colored lasers, which are more visible to the human eye than red lights. The 6,136 reported strikes in 2019 were, however, fewer than the 7,398 strikes in 2016. In 2006, only 385 strikes were reported.

FAA works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to pursue civil and criminal penalties against individuals who purposely aim lasers at aircraft, and it takes enforcement action against them, imposing civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. Civil penalties of up to $30,800 have been imposed by FAA against individuals for multiple laser incidents.

In a 2017 case where enforcement action was taken, a 26-year-old man in Kansas City, MO, was sentenced in federal court for shining a laser pointer at a Kansas City Police Department helicopter. The man was sentenced to three years in federal prison without parole after hitting the helicopter three times with a green laser light. He twice hit the eye of one of the pilots, causing severe eye strain that lasted for hours after the incident. In sentencing, the federal court found he “recklessly endangered the safety of an aircraft, which was flying over a residential neighborhood.”

SOURCE: www.flyingmag.com 

Metro Aviation Delivers Helicopters to Buenos Aires Police

Metro Aviation, which recently announced Brian Bihler has been appointed the company’s new director of operations, has delivered two refurbished AS350 B3 aircraft to the Ministry of Security in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The refurbishments for the police helicopters included 12-year inspections and comprehensive repairs. The Metro team identified several areas of need, including blade corrosion, interior upholstery damage and windshield impairment. Additionally, the company outfitted the helicopters with a fast rope system for air-to-ground police transport.

SOURCE: www.airmedandrescue.com and www.verticalmag.com 

Share Your Unit’s Mission Success Story & Expertise

APSA’s Air Beat magazine focuses on the various disciplines that make up public safety aviation including airborne law enforcement, search and rescue, air medical, aviation firefighting and natural resource operations. Air Beat would like to hear from you and share aviation unit success stories as well as tactics and training required to safely and successfully perform these missions.

Please contact Lisa Wright at airbeat@publicsafetyaviation.org if you would like to contribute an article and have your agency profiled in Air Beat. Our editors are happy to help edit your submission, so don’t be shy about the article writing. Articles are generally between 1000-1500 words in length and photos are welcomed. For those members who would like to highlight their unit’s law enforcement story, the article due date is July 1. For the topic of aerial firefighting and natural resources missions, the article due date is Sept. 1. Air Beat looks forward to hearing from you!

Maine Game Warden Pilot Locates Stranded Fisherman

Maine Game Warden Chief Pilot Jeff Beach located three missing anglers in late May after the trio had spent a night in their vehicle stuck in deep snow. Family reported them overdue the morning after they had failed to return home and were unable to reach them by cell phone. The group had traveled to the area for a day of fishing, but their four-wheel drive vehicle became stuck on an unplowed portion of road.

Game wardens and members of the Rangeley Police Department, Franklin Sheriff’s Office, Rangeley Fire and U.S. Border Patrol began searching the area, with pilot Beach searching from the air and eventually locating the vehicle. Game Warden Mike Pierre and four U.S. Border Patrol agents then rode snowmobiles and drove a truck to the victims’ location and used a winch to free the stuck vehicle. All three were in good health after spending the night in the vehicle.

SOURCE: www.theoutdoorwire.com 

Botswana Police Outfits New Helicopters With Searchlights, Cameras

The Botswana Police Air Support Division has selected Trakka Systems to install A800 searchlights and TC-300S multi-sensor cameras on its new Enstrom 480B helicopters. The Air Support Division made the selection after a detailed tender and acquisition process. “Our one-stop turnkey solution, ease of acquisition and support capability were the main factors for the selection of the Trakka proposal,” a Trakka Systems spokesperson said. Once in service, the Botswana Police Air Support Division’s upgraded Enstrom 480Bs will be used for crime prevention, wildlife conservation, command and control, and search and rescue.

SOURCE: Trakka Systems

June 30 Entry Deadline: Enter Photos of Members Making A Difference

APSA invites you to enter its 2020 Air Beat Photo Contest. Share your best shots to win a GoPro HERO Black8 camera. You're gonna love GoPro’s newest features; enter Air Beat's photo contest today for your chance to win!

To be eligible to enter, the photographer must be an APSA member in good standing, and the photos must have a public safety aviation element (aircraft, crew, mission, training, etc.) and include a caption. The submission deadline is June 30, 2020; entries are being accepted now at www.airbeatmagazine.com. The more photos you submit, the greater your chances of winning. The grand prize winner will be announced in the August APSA E-Newsletter.

Police Drone Unit Has Busy First Six Months in Operation

UK’s Nottinghamshire Police has three drones that have helped to detain 39 suspects and find six vulnerable missing people since going live in January. The drones are each equipped with thermal imaging cameras and have responded to more than 300 incidents across the county.

PC Vince Saunders, Chief Pilot, explained: “In a very short space of time, the drone unit has become an invaluable policing resource. Having that three-dimensional perspective can help officers out in nearly every conceivable police incident – from arrests and searches to crowd control and drugs raids. We can even use a police drone to quickly and accurately map the scenes of road traffic accidents. At first, they may have been a novelty, but our drones are now a central part of our response to so many incidents.”

While police air support by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft won’t be replaced, PC Saunders believes drones will become an ever more common part of everyday policing. He added, “The real advantage of our drones is in their versatility, cost-effectiveness and the speed in which they can be deployed. That means we’re now using them to help in situations where helicopter support just wouldn’t have been a viable or cost-effective option in the past. A good recent example is the arrest of a burglary suspect in Aspley. Arresting officers suspected he’d flee so requested support from one of our drones. As we suspected, he did run away, hurdling hedges and fences in the process, but he couldn’t escape our eye in the sky. We’ve also been able to locate missing people very quickly – and in one case I am certain we saved somebody’s life in the process.”

Source: www.airmedandrescue.com and westbridgfordwire.com  

Alabama Aviation Unit Assists on Drug Bust

The Prattville (AL) Police Department Aviation Unit recently helped obtain and serve a major narcotic warrant for an operation known as “The Farm” in Autauga County. The Aviation Unit and the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, Elmore County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and Montgomery Police Department carried out the warrant.

Police said The Farm has been used for criminal activity for many years. The initial warrant for the raid pertained to narcotics and stolen property, but officers said they anticipated an array of seizures to follow after they conducted their search of the property. The warrant cited 12 different instances of narcotics violations dating back to 2019. Several individuals were placed in custody during the raid.

SOURCE: www.alabamanews.net 

Gwinnett Approves Helicopter Maintenance Contract

The Gwinnett County (GA) Police Department has contracted with Rotor Resources, LLC for helicopter inspections, maintenance and repairs following the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners approval of a $360,000 annual contract. The contract will cover maintenance of two helicopters in the Gwinnett Police Department Aviation Unit. Rotor Resources has provided similar services to the Atlanta Police Department and DeKalb Aerial Support in the past. The contract represents a 3.5 percent decrease in cost over Gwinnett County’s previous arrangement.

SOURCE: www.ajc.com 

Columbia Uses Drones to Detect High Body Temperatures

Colombian police began using drones last month to detect high body temperatures in Colombia’s capital Bogota or those violating the country’s coronavirus quarantine. Bogota, home to some 8 million people, has more than a third of Colombia’s coronavirus cases.

If a drone detects someone with a potential fever, it sends the location to a medical team that seeks out the person to determine if they have coronavirus symptoms, officials said. “It facilitates the location of groups of people day or night,” said Captain Jorge Humberto Caceres, head of the police drone unit. “It gives us an approximate body temperature and directs the case to a national system so it can be attended to.”

Each drone can fly for up to 30 minutes at a height of 1,640 feet and can get as far as 3 miles from the vehicle that serves as its control center. Bogota’s mayor, Claudia Lopez, has placed a dozen areas with high infection rates under special restrictions, tightening rules for outings even as other parts of the country have begun re-opening.

Source: https://nypost.com 

Study Finds Most Drones in Controlled Airspace Lack FAA Approval

A dangerously close encounter between a camera drone and six F/A-18 Hornets flying in formation during a recent U.S. Navy Blue Angels demonstration over Detroit, MI, confirms the latest aviation safety research released by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The university study has revealed commercial and public safety aircraft are too often forced to share airspace with unauthorized drones. The study, published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, indicated the majority of small unmanned aircraft systems detected around Daytona Beach International Airport during a 30-day period in 2019 lacked approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and more than one-third were flying higher than the law allows.

An FAA approval system for commercial and recreational drone flights in controlled airspace, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability system, had been predicted to reduce noncompliant UAS operations by at least 30 percent within six months, researchers noted. “This voluntary approval process doesn’t seem to be working as expected,” said Embry-Riddle’s John Robbins, associate professor of aeronautical science. Only 7 percent, or 19 of 271, detected DJI-type drone flights had approval from FAA to fly in the locations and at the times they were flying, according to the study. In addition, 34.3 percent of the detected drones were exceeding legal altitude levels.

SOURCE: www.erau.edu 

Aviation Units in New York & Indiana Struck With Laser Pointers

An Indiana man was arrested for hindering a police investigation with a laser pointer in early May, and two teenagers were taken into custody for shining a laser at a New York Police Department helicopter several weeks later. The New Jersey teens charged in the NYPD incident blinded the pilots as they flew over Harlem.

The 47-year-old Indiana man was arrested on multiple criminal charges stemming from drug-related items found in his home when police served a search warrant on April 30. According to Indiana State Police, the man had reportedly used a green laser to cause fear by recklessly pointing it at citizens and police during investigations. As an Indiana State Police Aviation Unit helicopter assisted police in a search for a suspect, Pilot Sergeant Eric Streeval and TFO Master Trooper Rob MeKeenman said they were repeatedly hit with the laser.

On March 14, the two New Jersey teens were taken into custody after police said they pointed a laser light at the NYPD helicopter and temporarily blinded the pilots. Spokesman William Maer said the light was traced back to Cecelia Place, the highest point in Harlem’s Cliffside Park, and a 17-year-old and 16-year-old were detained. The helicopter, NYPD Aviation 20, was tracking a suspect when the laser light filled the cockpit, Maer said.

SOURCE: www.tribstar.com and www.nj1015.com 

APSA Welcomes New Members

APSA would like to welcome the following individual members who joined during April 2020:

Corporate Members:

Jet Support Services, Inc.

Individual Members:

Pat Anderson, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Mike Austin, Folsom (CA) Police Department
Greg Basler, Roseville (CA) Police Department
Nick Bassett, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Andrew Bates, Folsom (CA) Police Department
Mike Bradley, Roseville (CA) Police Department
Edward Brandt, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Michael Brown, Contra Costa County (CA) Sheriff's Office
Robert Cameron, Texas Department of Public Safety (Wichita Falls)
Paul Castaneda, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Kenneth Collier, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Mike Conover, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Jon Davidson, Roseville (CA) Police Department
Mitchell Duncan, MedStar
Jeff Emelio, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Nic Fox, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Justin Freeman, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Richard Freilich, METARmaps.com
Joshua Funderburk, Hillsborough County (FL) Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
Clifton Grimm, Lexington (KY) Police Department
Michael Gunter, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Deniz Guraydin, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Brandon Hartfield, Eldorado County (CA) Sheriff’s Office
Craig Hills, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Joseph Howard, Folsom (CA) Police Department
Wesley Howard, Folsom (CA) Police Department
Balwant Jagur, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Conner Jensen, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Jennifer Kauffman, Air Wisconsin Airlines
Eric Kellenberger, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Matt Krieg, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
David Larivee, Northstar Community Service District
Gregory Lees, Broward County (FL) Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
Brian McDougle, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Cory McEnroe, El Segundo (CA) Police Department
Timothy McGarry, Folsom (CA) Police Department
Russell McGrew, Roseville (CA) Police Department
Brian Miln, Winnipeg (MB) Police Service-Flight Operations Unit
Jeffrey Morse, Broward County (FL) Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
Frederick Osmond, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Sang Park, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Matt Parkhurst, Truckee (CA) Fire Department
Dave Parrett, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Dustin Peters, Truckee (CA) Fire Department
John Piazza, Victoria (VIC) Police, State Surveillance Unit
Tim Puglak, Calgary (AB) Police Service: Air Support Unit
Jon Rudnicki, Metro Fire Department
Devyn Rumbaugh, El Dorado (CA) County Sheriff’s Office
Christian Sandberg, Broward (FL) County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit
Denise Sanders, TrikeSchool LLC / Wild Sky LLC
Trevor Schwertfeger, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Mark Scurria, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Scott Sedgwick, Truckee (CA) Fire Department
Joseph Smith, El Dorado (CA) County Sheriffs Office
Joshua Spock, Independent Member 
Bill Steward, Truckee (CA) Fire Department
Wut Tan, Austin (TX) Police Department
Steve Thorns, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit
Cam Ursel, Calgary (AB) Police Service: Air Support Unit
Craig Varnum, Charlotte-(NC) Mecklenburg Police Department Aviation Unit
Alan VerHoef, Louisiana State Police
Taylor Vogelmeier, Ohio State Highway Patrol
Scott Williams, Sacramento (CA) Police Department Air Support Unit