Stop helicopters flying over residential areas constantly!!! (cars, police)

[mgforshort]

They are not wasting money. They need the overtime. The union at work.
Up where we live now we heard three helicopters in twelve months, and crime is not yet out of control.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

They are not wasting money. They need the overtime. The union at work.
Up where we live now we heard three helicopters in twelve months, and crime is not yet out of control.

Probably hasn't occurred to you that crime rate being low "up where [you] now live" is exactly why you've heard only three helicopters in 12 months? And your zip code suggests "up where" is Paradise? You would wonder why helicopters aren't surveilling up there? I see.

That all said, 1Angry puts the perspective in place for this thread. I was North Island based air crew back in the day. It's busy up there. For lots of good reasons.

[Liz_7]

In OB the helicopters are typically looking for criminals (i.e., someone known to be on the run) or doing rescues at the cliffs. They are almost always doing something "important." In La Jolla they were rare but at one point one was looking for a sex offender. Most recently in OB the helicopter announced the need to evacuate an area due to a gas leak. So yes, in my experience they are important.

[fredp22]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Lol. You have no idea whatsoever what they are doing up there. I don't happen to like Big Brother surveillance. Nor am I a fearful person ready to give up freedoms for security. But, the helicopters are not "doing nothing but wasting taxpayer money and I guess waiting for that plane to hit the building".

Among other things, they are a pro-active security function just by their presence alone.

in what way are they a proactive security function. do you really think some terrorist/burglar/whatever is going to alter their plans because of a helicopter.

I know they are doing nothing- just watch them. They fly in circles for hours. Police have stated they will be up for 20 hours a day. What could they possibly be doing between their calls. Maybe I'm wrong , maybe they are getting instructions to just fly in a circle for 3 hours.

Funding 4 helicopters to be in the air 20 hours a day, every day, waiting for something to happen is comically expensive. Its even more surprising its coming from a city that has recently emerged from bankruptcy. We are not the Watts. Its a luxury the we dont need or want. Patrol cars work just fine.
I dont like being woken up at 7:00 by some chopper thats just patrolling (again for what I dont know).

[fredp22]

Originally Posted by Liz_7

In OB the helicopters are typically looking for criminals (i.e., someone known to be on the run) or doing rescues at the cliffs. They are almost always doing something "important." In La Jolla they were rare but at one point one was looking for a sex offender. Most recently in OB the helicopter announced the need to evacuate an area due to a gas leak. So yes, in my experience they are important.

sure in your 1 off examples that require a copter ( maybe 10-15 time a year) fine. Patrol cars couldnt find your sex offender?
confused why you are saying they are always doing something important. The police are putting up 4 copters 20 hours a day. Its expensive, overkill, and please tell me what could be so important to need them buzzing us that much each day. We are not the Watts.
Watch them (please). University Heights is a good area. They just go in circles for hours

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by fredp22

sure in your 1 off examples that require a copter ( maybe 10-15 time a year) fine. Patrol cars couldnt find your sex offender?
confused why you are saying they are always doing something important. The police are putting up 4 copters 20 hours a day. Its expensive, overkill, and please tell me what could be so important to need them buzzing us that much each day. We are not the Watts.
Watch them (please). University Heights is a good area. They just go in circles for hours

You'll never see all four in the air at the same time unless something stupid that hasn't happened yet. Maybe spend some money and get double pane windows. My Mom lives by able base and doesn't bother her at all. Normally one, and sometimes two in the air.

[elchevere]

what you say is true; however, with respect to the specific area where I live--downtown-- (1) it is fairly easy to be able to distinguish a SDPD helicopter from a military helicopter; (2) from my experience, the military helicopters, at least the ones traveling near/through downtown, go from point A to point B; and (3) I have never witnessed a military helicopter conducting exercises over a residential neighborhood (such as where I live) at 2AM circling overhead in a small radius lasting for 20 minutes or longer--however, I have witnessed such activity from SDPD helicopters at that time. As stated earlier, when I was able to get through to SDPD to find out what some of these "missions" were for, I was told one involved a prowler in Little Italy (a good 1/4 mile, or more, from where I live) and a bar fight in the Gaslamp (a solid 10 blocks away from where I live)--why the need for a helicopter for these specific situations and why the need to fly over my complex which is not in close proximity to these incidents.

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Well, let's break it down here.
North Island - Navy/Marines/CG
IB - Navy/Marines
Camp P - Navy/Marines
Something like 4 or 5 different news choppers
Every small airfield - SDPD - Sheriff
Clairemont - life flight
E County - BP

Able base is the only real tax payer $ being spent in the air by SDPD. The rest are private or military coming and going and pretty sure we don't want to halt life flights.

Good luck getting the armed forces to stop training.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by elchevere

what you say is true; however, with respect to the specific area where I live--downtown-- (1) it is fairly easy to be able to distinguish a SDPD helicopter from a military helicopter; (2) from my experience, the military helicopters, at least the ones traveling near/through downtown, go from point A to point B; and (3) I have never witnessed a military helicopter conducting exercises over a residential neighborhood (such as where I live) at 2AM in a small radius lasting for 20 minutes or longer--however, I have witnessed such activity from SDPD helicopters at that time.

Oh I am sure. There are a lot of "other than good upstanding citizens" down there. Sorry, but that's where the cops are too. One chopper can cover a lot more area than a bunch of squad cars. Hasn't it been this way for a while?

[elchevere]

it seems that way and also seems reliance on helicopters has come at the expense of street patrols/cars...even so, not sure why a chopper would be called in for something like a bar fight--seems like overkill, to say the least, and something that would be better handled with a ground officer(s).

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Oh I am sure. There are a lot of "other than good upstanding citizens" down there. Sorry, but that's where the cops are too. One chopper can cover a lot more area than a bunch of squad cars. Hasn't it been this way for a while?

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by elchevere

it seems that way and also seems reliance on helicopters has come at the expense of street patrols/cars...even so, not sure why a chopper would be called in for something like a bar fight--seems like overkill, to say the least, and something that would be better handled with a ground officer(s).

May be the distance to able base and they feel more comfortable having one in the area. I dunno. I know a bunch of folks in SDPD, I'll as some questions.