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As of October 3, at least 85 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since Hurricane Ian crashed ashore Florida’s Gulf with catastrophic force last month as a Category 4 hurricane, according to local officials. Hurricane Ian caused severe damage in parts of Southwest Florida, mostly from flooding due to extreme storm surge and rainfall. In particular, the cities of Ft. Myers and Naples in Lee and Collier Counties were impacted strongly.
Millions were left without power in the storm's wake, and many residents were forced to take refuge on their roofs. Similar scenes happened in other communities too. Hurricane Ian, expected to be the most expensive storm in Florida’s history, devastated neighborhoods from the state’s western coast to inland cities like Orlando.
A Lee County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit helicopter captured the scene overhead after Hurricane Ian passed. Many homes and businesses appear to be completely destroyed as a LCSO’s helicopter scans some of the areas pounded by brutal winds. Lee County's beachside communities, eclectic neighborhoods of trendy restaurants, residences and hotels, appeared in great ruin. Video from the helicopter showed leveled properties, fires burning, and trails of debris strewn for hundreds of yards.
"We are devastated. Our hearts go out to every resident who is impacted. The Lee County Sheriff's Office is mobile and will stop at nothing to help our residents," the Sheriff's Office social media page said. "We will get through this together. We are one community and we will overcome this tragedy."
In the wake of Hurricane Ian, the deadliest storm to hit Florida in 60 years, searches continue for survivors on islands cut off from the mainland. Approximately 1,600 people have been rescued from Hurricane Ian’s path in parts of southwest and central Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on October 2.
More than 1,800 personnel from 26 states were deployed to Florida to assist in response and recovery efforts. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) coordinated the deployment of more than 1,200 law enforcement officers statewide from more than 50 agencies. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Aviation Section provided the Emergency Operations Center with aerial assistance, reconnaissance and post-storm damage assessments.
Source: youtube.com and flgov.com
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The South African Police Service (SAPS) sadly confirmed that one of its fixed-wing aircraft, a Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter, crashed at the Rand Airport in Germiston, Gauteng on August 30. Warrant Officer Willem Erasmus, a SAPS airborne law enforcement officer with 29 years of service, was among the five people that succumbed to their injuries on the scene.
On board the aircraft were five passengers and a pilot. All five passengers sadly lost their lives; the pilot was critically injured. According to a preliminary report, the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from the Rand Airport just after 2:30 pm that day.
“As an airborne law enforcement officer, Officer Erasmus was responsible for providing air support during crime prevention as well as search and rescue operations. The sole survivor of the crash, a senior pilot with 16 years of service, Captain Casper Swanepoel sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving medical care,” said the SAPS in a statement.
When medics arrived at the scene, they found that an aircraft had crashed towards the end of the runway. The aircraft reportedly went down when the left wing detached shortly after takeoff on runway 29. The left wing was found 800 feet from the main wreckage. After the left wing detached, the plane rolled to the left and went straight down. There was nothing the pilot could have done.
The Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, sent her condolences to all affected families and wished the pilot a speedy recovery. “We must allow investigations to unfold to be able to get to the bottom of what led to this tragedy,” said Mosikili.
Sources: citizen.co.za and germistoncitynews.com
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Recognizing the need to provide training to those members who may not be able to travel to in-person events, as part of our education and training program for 2022, APSA is conducting a series of monthly webinars. Scheduled for Thursdays, 1:00-2:30 pm Eastern, the upcoming schedule and topics in this series are:
Registration for these webinars is open. To register, simply click on the webinar(s) you’d like to participate in and complete the registration form. These webinars are offered free of charge to APSA members.
Interested in sponsoring one or more of these webinars and marketing to the participants? Contact Benay Osborne by email or call her at 301-631-2406 for details.
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A group of investors officially acquired MD Helicopters last month. The consortium, which includes MBIA Insurance Corp., Bardin Hill and MB Global Partners, purchased the Arizona-based business. Brad Pedersen has taken the helm as CEO.
With the new owners and management team in place, the company is finally able to move forward, said Pedersen, who began his career at Hughes Helicopters, and has worked at Boeing Rotorcraft, Sikorsky Aircraft and Breeze-Eastern. “I bring a lot of experience turning around companies and rebuilding companies successfully,” he said.
The “new MD” is officially known as MD Helicopters LLC, or MDH. The new leadership is focused on several short-term and long-term goals. More immediately, they want to better manage costs to improve competitiveness as well as secure new aircraft sales. Further into the future, they want to improve the company’s current relationship with Boeing.
Customers can expect to see upgrades to MD’s product line. “The [MD 500] E model and [MD 530] F model have all been a bit stagnant over the last couple of decades,” said Pedersen. “I know there’s some improvements we can make. We have made some improvements recently with some slimline glass cockpits to give better visibility, as well as crash resistant fuel cells. So we’ll look to do more of that — add functions that are important to the customers and add utility to their operations.”
Source: www.defensenews.com and verticalmag.com
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Incredible video shows Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers rescuing six people, including several children, off the roof of a car as floodwaters rushed around them last month in Maricopa. On Sept. 21, DPS troopers were called to help Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies after a car got stuck in a flooded wash. The DPS Ranger 1 rescue chopper found the people stuck and quickly got ready to lower crews near the car.
Two troopers lowered themselves, with one getting on top of the car to start carrying people up. One trooper picks up a baby, giving him to another trooper. “I have the baby in my hands,” he says, assuring them the child is safe. “The baby is inside. Ready for the second one.” One by one, the two men began lifting several kids into the chopper, getting them away from the rising waters. “I need blankets and a warm place to put these kids,” one trooper says. The second trooper then throws down life vests for the man and woman still stuck on top of the car.
Both troopers begin helping the two get off the car’s roof. The couple was able to climb into the helicopter to safety. Everyone was rescued, and no injuries were reported.
Source: mysuncoast.com
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APSA conducts regularly scheduled online meetings for safety officers, maintenance technicians, SAR and Natural Resources personnel, and UAS operators that you can join using your computer, mobile device or phone. To facilitate this, the UAS, Safety Officer and Maintenance Technician Meeting Groups meet once every two months, and the SAR Personnel and Natural Resources Meeting Groups meet quarterly.
These 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:
- Maintenance: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
- SAR: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
- UAS: Wednesday, November 9, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 pm EST (1800 UTC)
- Safety Officers: Friday, November 18, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 PM EST (1800 UTC)
- Natural Resources: Wednesday, December 14, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 pm EST (1800 UTC)
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Huntington Beach (CA) Police Department Air Support Bureau will replace their aging fleet with the purchase of three new helicopters. The MD 530F helicopters that were ordered cost a combined $7.3 million and should be delivered by the end of this year. They will take the place of the three older model MD aircraft, like the one pictured, that the department bought about 20 years ago.
The new helicopters have more powerful engines than the ones currently in HBPD’s fleet. That means they can carry more people and heavier payloads, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Thoby Archer said. “The aircraft we were using before weren’t underpowered by any means,” Archer said. “But the 530s should be able to take more people aboard during a search and rescue operation or carry a crew of four and something like a full water bucket if we wanted to use it to assist with fire suppression. With the old ones, you might run into issues carrying much more than a full crew.”
The department’s fleet had been made up of three MD 500 helicopters, one of which was still in service as of last month. Another was sold to a buyer in Australia earlier this year, Archer said. The third spiraled into waters along Newport Beach on Feb. 19. Officer Nicholas Vella was one of two crewmembers in the helicopter, and died as a result of the crash. The other suffered traumatic injuries but has since returned to duty, Archer said. “Nicholas was a friend to all of us,” Archer said. “It was tough on everyone, but it wasn’t like people were going to stop calling 911; everyone just had to work through it.”
In the weeks following Vella’s death, HBPD’s Air Support Bureau underwent a thorough review of its procedures, Archer said. However, they found no “glaring issues” in either training or policy that might have played a role in the crash, he said. “Flying over water is difficult,” Archer said. “Flying at night is difficult. I don’t want to speak out of turn, but it may have just been a perfect storm of factors that evening.”
Even though unanswered questions about what led up to the crash linger months after it happened, members of the Air Support Bureau retained “full faith and confidence” in their engineers and equipment, Archer said. He added that members of the bureau are still processing the loss of Officer Vella in the midst of performing their duties.
Source: latimes.com
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A 48-year-old man was sentenced last month to 60 months in federal prison for intentionally aiming a laser pointer’s beam at an in-flight Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit helicopter, an act that blinded the crew for several seconds.
The man, Eric Jayson Suarez, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. On the evening of April 13, 2020, he was sitting alone in his car that was parked approximately 20 blocks away from where the helicopter was operating, saw the helicopter in flight, and intentionally pointed a high-intensity green laser beam at the aircraft. It struck the cockpit at least four times and blinded the helicopter’s pilot and tactical flight officer for several seconds, impacting their ability to see the ground and to detect hazards and jeopardizing the safety of the flight crew, the helicopter, other nearby aircraft, and people on the ground.
Previously in February 2015, Suarez was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of unlawful discharge of a laser at an occupied aircraft. In March 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of a green laser beam that shone from Suarez’s backyard and struck a helicopter approximately eight times. That night, an officer warned Suarez that it would be “disastrous” because it could blind the pilot and cause the aircraft to crash, according to court documents.
Source: justice.gov
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Medford (OR) Police Department’s new Drone Response Team is composed of three officers who have obtained the required FAA training and certification necessary to operate a fleet of four drones of varying sizes and capabilities, according to patrol Lt. Rebecca Pietila. "Some of them are specific for indoor flight, and others are equipped for outdoor flight," she said.
The unmanned drones were purchased with $30,000 in federal forfeiture funds approved by Medford City Council. Pietila said the drones would be used for purposes that include documenting crash scenes and crime scenes and to aid in searches for missing people. Some of the drones give officers footage in real time while others are capable of recording and feeding it straight into the same Axon system as officer’s bodycam video.
The Medford Police Department is not the only law enforcement agency in the region utilizing drone technology. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has seven drone operators with FAA Part 107 drone pilot certification, according to JCSO spokesman Aaron Lewis. They are used for SAR operations and to provide another angle of view when serving high-risk warrants.
Oregon State Police also uses unmanned aircraft systems primarily for crash reconstruction, according to an email from OSP Communications Director Mindy McCartt. "Some complex crashes present like a 1,000-piece puzzle, taking more time and effort to provide solid answers to victims and their families — and for the legal system to appropriately hold violators accountable for their actions," McCartt stated. "The strategy and application of this technology often results in reducing the impact on traffic flow during the investigation while, at the same time, achieving forensically sound scene documentation at survey-grade accuracy that can be fully integrated," she continued.
Source: aviationpros.com
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Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Aviation Support Division has taken delivery of a completed Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter with a full airborne mission suite from CNC Technologies. Installed by aircraft integrator AeroBrigham of Decatur, Texas, the state-of-the-art mission suite provides the NSP with a comprehensive patrol, surveillance and communications solution that is fully interoperable with the agency’s existing aircraft and technology infrastructure.
The project builds upon CNCʼs standing as a leading provider of airborne law enforcement solutions for the Bell 505. CNC previously provided the tactical airborne mission suite for the Fort Worth (TX) Police Department Bell 505, as well as delivered microwave downlink solutions for the Omaha (NE) Police Department Bell 505 including CNC.LIVE. CNC.LIVE is CNCʼs proprietary defense-grade online portal for hosting, viewing and sharing real-time aerial downlink footage from multiple aircraft and drones in a central location.
By incorporating an L3/Wescam MX10 imager, Shotover/Churchill Systems moving map, Macro-Blue monitor, Trakka TLX searchlight and Troll Systems microwave downlink system to the new mission suite, CNC has developed a customized solution tailored to NSP’s specific law enforcement needs. Aircrews will be able to utilize the solution to stream uninterrupted HD video and data from the aircraft to commanders and officers on the ground, utilizing the agency’s existing Troll Systems microwave downlink infrastructure. “The CNC team has delivered a cutting-edge law enforcement mission equipment package for our new Bell 505,” said NSP Lt. Brian Petersen. “CNC is also providing ongoing training and 24/7 support for the new mission suite, and we look forward to our on-going partnership with them in support of our public safety mission.”
Source: CNC Technologies
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The Virginia State Police provides law enforcement and emergency services to more than 8.5 million people throughout the state. When their everyday mission brings diverse challenges, the Virginia State Police relies on their six Bell aircraft to successfully complete lifesaving missions. Most recently, the Virginia State Police purchased a Bell 412 EPi to further support emergency medical missions, expanding their helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) and search and rescue (SAR) operations.
Since the mid-1980s, the Virginia State Police Aviation Division operates out of one law enforcement base in Lynchburg, Virginia, and two MedFlight base locations in Richmond and Abingdon. Both MedFlight bases serve more than 40 hospitals and partner with large-scale emergency service agencies that provide flight nurses and paramedics for health services inflight.
“The State Police Aviation Division is Virginia’s only law enforcement agency with hoist capabilities,” said VSP Captain Shawn Rivard, Aviation Division Commander. “Having the adequate aircraft to provide such an essential emergency service is critical to state police’s ability to fulfill our rescue and medical response missions as safely and efficiently as possible.”
The Bell 412 EPi will expand the agency’s emergency services fleet. With modern flight technology, pilots can use high-resolution maps and terrain data on four displays to easily navigate in challenging environments. This multi-mission ready aircraft has the capacity to seat up to 14 passengers, fitting all the crew and medical equipment needed for emergency missions.
“Due to the spacious interior of the Bell 412, we were able to design the aircraft to dedicate one side to rescue personnel and operations, and the other side to accommodate a full-length stretcher so as to enhance patient transport and treatment,” said Rivard.
The Virginia State Police Department expects to begin operations with its Bell 412EPi in a few months. In preparation for its arrival, VSP pilots completed specialized Bell 412 flight training at the Bell Training Academy.
Source: Bell
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 Most articles you read in APSA’s Air Beat magazine come from members like you. With the help of our editorial staff, it’s easy to spotlight the great work of your aviation unit with an article in Air Beat. (It’s our editor’s job to make you look good, so don’t worry if you’re not a writer.) Whether your missions involve law enforcement, emergency medical transport, natural resource conservation, firefighting, or search and rescue, or if you operate helicopters, fixed-wing or unmanned platforms, we’d love to hear from you and be able to spotlight your agency in Air Beat. Email us at airbeat@publicsafetyaviation.org for information.
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Troopers from the Maryland State Police Aviation Command rescued a crewmember that was having a medical emergency aboard a cruise ship sailing in the Chesapeake Bay last month. The aviation crew from the Easton Section, Trooper 6, responded after the United States Coast Guard Sector Baltimore called advising that the Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship was requesting immediate aerial evacuation of one of its crewmembers that was experiencing a serious medical event.
The crew from Trooper 6 prepared the Leonardo AW-139 aircraft for a rescue and deployed a trooper/recue technician to the deck of the ship to perform a patient assessment and package the patient for extraction. After a detailed patient assessment was performed, it was determined that the patient required evacuation to a higher level of care at a medical facility.
The patient was packaged and successfully extracted from the deck of the ship and into the aircraft. Once secured, the crew of Trooper 6 seamlessly transitioned to a medevac role without any further delay in care, which continued en route to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases throughout the state. Each aircraft provides coverage 24/7/365 to Maryland residents and visitors. The MSPAC missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of the missions relies heavily on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies, and their partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Park Police.
Source: news.maryland.gov
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A fierce downpour trapped two people in their van on a flooded road in Las Vegas last month. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Air Support Section helicopter aircrew rushed to the scene around 2 a.m. “The water was up to the tops of the windows, had already filled into the van itself,” said LVMPD Search & Rescue Chief Pilot Bryan Woolard. He was part of the crew of five people who dodged some storms to get to the scene.
The aircrew discovered one problem right away. “We found out that the female’s leg was stuck between the chair and the door and we weren’t able to open the door because of the flow of the water. So, the only way we were going to be able to extract her was to get her leg loose and get her through the window up on top,” said Woolard.
A rescuer was lowered to the van by hoist and was able to help free the woman’s leg, and they were hoisted to the chopper and delivered to rescuers on the ground. The helicopter crew then maneuvered back to the van and was able to attach the man to the cable and lift him to safety as well.
Woolard says the operation took around 40 minutes in all and said the couple had been trapped in the van for at least 45 minutes before they arrived. He said the rescue was a team effort with about 30 to 40 people helping in all, including volunteer firefighters on the ground. Watch the rescue here.
Source: fox5vegas.com
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The Federal Aviation Administration said laser pointing at aircraft has jumped more than 40% from 2020 to 2021. In 2021, more than 9,700 laser strikes were reported. As of July 31 this year, the FAA has already received more than 5,000 reports.
Recent arrests in Houston, TX are proof of that statistic. Police arrested three men in separate incidents for using high-powered lasers against planes and helicopters last month. Two were arrested for pointing a laser into a Houston Police Department helicopter. HPD ground units were called out and spotted the two men passing the laser back and forth while standing outside. One of the men had been arrested and charged for pointing a laser at two planes and a helicopter in November 2021. "The police claim that you gave them a statement that says you shone the laser up at the police helicopter, I presume you knew it was a police helicopter, because it was hovering around in the area and you were annoyed that it was in the area," the magistrate judge said in court.
"Lasers can distract the pilot and they can even temporarily blind the pilot," said FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor. The men arrested in Houston are each charged with illuminating an aircraft with a laser, which is a misdemeanor, and they could face up to one year in prison and a $4,000 fine.
Source: abc13.com
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The Chesapeake (VA) Police Department recently expanded its drone fleet. The department’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Team is made up of eight drones of various sizes and 15 officers.
“Prior to drone technology, unless you had a helicopter, which we don’t, there was really no way to get that aerial view,” said Master Police Officer Leo Kosinski. “With the different pieces of equipment, they are kind of mission-specific so to speak,” Kosinski said. He said they use drones a lot to analyze crash scenes and during search and rescue operations. He said the drones are a force multiplier helping crews cover more ground, faster.
“Some of our drones have the thermal FLIR infrared type technology, so in the colder times we can actually use the drones up high and you could see heat signatures to try to dial it in a bit more for missing persons or missing children,” Kosinski said. The drones can also help police officers get messages to victims or suspects with a speaker system attached.
Two months ago, Kosinski said the department purchased two smaller drones to give police the upper hand in critical indoor situations. “It is specifically designed to be used inside of a building, so if there was any type of large scale incident, mass casualty, mass shooting incident, we have the ability to deploy that within a structure to either assist with searching, crime scene investigation,” Kosinski said. “This is just another tool in the toolbox that can help serve the public at large,” he said.
Source: www.13newsnow.com
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Do you know an agency, team or individual in the rotorcraft, drone or advanced air mobility community who is outstanding in their profession? Or, perhaps they conducted an exceptional operation that made the news? Helicopter Association International (HAI) is hoping you’ll tell their story. HAI is accepting nominations for its annual Salute to Excellence Awards program. The deadline for all nominations has been extended until October 15, 2022. Award descriptions and criteria, as well as additional information about the awards process, are available here.
These awards recognize superior achievement across the rotorcraft industry and are open to individuals, teams or organizations that work with helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft systems. Anyone may submit a nomination, and anyone may be nominated. HAI membership is not required.
The Salute to Excellence award winners will be honored during HAI HELI-EXPO 2023 in Atlanta, GA on March 6–9.
Source: HAI
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In a press release last month, Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) shared that it has formed its own drone team of state wildlife protection officers. The drone team currently consists of five investigators located throughout the state.
“Using drones will help us more effectively solve wildlife crimes, and having trained law enforcement drone pilots will also allow us to assist other law enforcement agencies with search and rescue efforts or any other investigations,” DWR Captain Wade Hovinga said. “Utah conservation officers are public servants, and these new tools will help us better serve the public, whether we’re solving poaching crimes or locating lost hunters.”
The DWR team will use drone technology to assist with a number of activities, including documenting crime scenes or accidents, searching for evidence of and locating illegally taken wildlife, assisting landowners by investigating illegal trespassing on private property (which often happens when hunters and poachers are breaking the law), helping other law enforcement agencies, assisting biologists with wildlife surveys of protected lands, or investigating hunting-related shooting incidents (stray rounds, irresponsible gun use, etc.).
Conservation law enforcement officers concentrate on enforcing wildlife rules and encouraging compliance with them. They also educate and protect the state’s outdoor recreation areas while working to enhance the worth of Utah’s wild animals for everyone. In addition, conservation officers in Utah are increasingly called upon to assist local police departments with non-wildlife-related criminal code infractions.
Source: cleantechnica.com
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Deputies with the Washoe County (NV) Sheriff's Office celebrated Heroes Day at Echo Loder Elementary School last month. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit (RAVEN) helicopter landed in the middle of the playing field to kick off the activities.
Students had a chance to meet deputies from the WCSO Special Operations Division, such as SWAT, Specialized Vehicles Unit, Search and Rescue and the RAVEN pilots. Many other first responder units participated in the event, ushering in fall break for the kids.
Source: Washoe County Sheriff's Office
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The Republic of Croatiaʼs Ministry of Interior has signed a purchase agreement for two Subaru Bell 412EPX helicopters. The expected delivery date of the aircraft is October 2023. The Republic of Croatiaʼs Ministry of the Interior deals with the tasks related to criminal, border and special police activities and other activities related to civil protection. Mission roles will also include firefighting, fire protection, surveillance, monitor explosive substances and weapons, private protection, detective affairs, and mine action.
“The Ministry of Interior is honored to be the first European customer to sign a purchase agreement for the Subaru Bell 412EPX,” said Ph.D. Davor Božinović, Minister of Interior, Croatia. “We look forward to utilizing its unique capabilities and durability to protect and defend the citizens of Croatia.” The Subaru Bell 412 EPX is a joint venture between a Bell Flight and Subaru in the South East Asia region. The helicopter has become a proven performer across a wide spectrum of extreme conditions such as hot and high operations as well as overwater and arid desert environments.
Source: aviationsourcenews.com
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The Hamilton County (OH) Sheriff’s Office is retiring two helicopters and expanding its drone program to respond to calls for missing people, fleeing suspects, surveillance and security. The Aviation Unit’s two helicopters will likely be sold.
“Drones are the future. They are very easy to use, and they are not nearly as expensive as a helicopter,” Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said in last month’s city council meeting. “We spend $3 million every year on our helicopter program …that’s not even counting the cost of buying the actual helicopters which we did some years ago. We are planning on taking that money and using it in other ways that are more productive than the helicopters,” McGuffey said.
HCSO plan to buy eight new drones next year, bringing the department’s total to 15. The drones are operated by deputies who can store them in the trunks of their patrol cars to expedite their response times to urgent calls such as for a missing child.
“The great thing about this newer technology in drones is they have cameras built into them and they are more powerful than they’ve ever been,” said Capt. James Schoonover, who noted that infrared cameras show body heat so deputies can track missing people or fleeing suspects in darkness or wooded areas. “That could be a critical missing person, or could be someone who fled the scene of a felony traffic stop,” he said.
Source: wcpo.com
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A teenage carjacking suspect is in custody after he was tracked from Canada’s Durham to Peel Region by a police chopper last month. Police said he threatened a woman with a knife and demanded her vehicle but ended up fleeing the area when the victim fought back. A short time later, a person matching the same description approached a woman and stole her vehicle.
The aircrew of Durham Regional Police helicopter Air1 was able to locate the stolen vehicle and tracked the suspect all the way to Peel Region where he was arrested. The 17-year-old suspect is facing 20 charges including robbery and assault with a weapon.
Source: toronto.citynews.ca
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APSA Welcomes New Members
APSA’s networking, education and training opportunities are unique and specialized for public safety aviation. Let your colleagues and friends know about APSA. Thank you for your membership and helping APSA continue to grow. We would like to welcome the following corporate and individual members who joined during September 2022:
Corporate Members:
Helisul Táxi Aéreo
Schweizer Rsg LLC
Individual Members:
Scott Aly, Henderson County (NC) Sheriff's Office
Alaina Clark, Downey (CA) Police Department
Dave Collins, Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) Police Department | Aviation Unit
Richard Cornelius, FBI
Jorge Cuevas, Riverside (CA) Police Department | Aviation Unit
Paul Edwards, Western Australia Police Force (Police Air Wing)
Thomas Fisk, Massachusetts State Police Airwing | Chicopee
Mario Flores, Downey (CA) Police Department
Keith Freer, Taylor U PD / Carmel (IN) Fire Department
Mylon Gladden, Citrus County (FL) Sheriff's Office
John Gorman, Citrus County (FL) Sheriff's Office
Christopher Gripp, San Diego (CA) Police Department
Colton Ingle, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Anne Jackson, VCU
Ryan Jannaway, Ontario Provincial Police (Canada)
Kristina Klawin, Texas Department of Public Safety | Criminal Investigations
Brian LeClair, Massachusetts State Police Airwing | Lawrence Air Base
Stephen Littlewood, RSQ Training & Consulting, LLC
Robert Matute, Downey (CA) Police Department
Mike McClellin, California Highway Patrol | Office of Air Operations
David McKinnon, Massachusetts State Police Airwing | Plymouth Air Base
Daniel McManus, Richland County (SC) Sheriff's Department
Jonathan Nooitgedagt, Anaheim (CA) Police Department | Air Support
Danny Olivares, Downey (CA) Police Department
Mason Oliveira, Massachusetts State Police Airwing | Plymouth Air Base
Scott Patton, Oklahoma Highway Patrol
David Phelan, Massachusetts State Police Airwing | Lawrence Air Base
Chris Pinal, Downey (CA) Police Department
Edward Reed, Ascend South West
Danny Sanchez, Downey (CA) Police Department
Claude Simard, RCAF and Sûreté du Québec
Ryan Windell, Fontana (CA) Police Department
Adam Ybarra, Span Construction & Engineering Inc.
Alejandro Zuniga, Downey (CA) Police Department
If you know of other public safety aviators or industry-related companies that could benefit by becoming APSA members, please share this link and help our association grow!
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Get Your Organization's News Online
Send your press releases, company logos and photos to:
Lisa Wright
Editorial Director
airbeat@PublicSafetyAviation.org
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!
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etarr@PublicSafetyAviation.org
http://www.publicsafetyaviation.org
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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 2022 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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Phone (301) 631-2406
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