Police helicopters (date, year, people)

[mrs.cool]

That's crazy...here in Madison Wisconsin, which is the state capitol, and has a population of 233,000 some we have NO police helicopters. i don't even think Milwaukee has one, with nearly 600,000 people! (AND plenty of crime.)

[gitnerdun]

Originally Posted by mrs.cool

That's crazy...here in Madison Wisconsin, which is the state capitol, and has a population of 233,000 some we have NO police helicopters. i don't even think Milwaukee has one, with nearly 600,000 people! (AND plenty of crime.)

Maybe milwaukee should get one and possibly control some of that crime.

[CBXBIKE]

Wisconsin gets their choppers for free. Nice.

Police use free copter service - JSOnline

[DennisDaMenace]

They have them down here in Lee County. They are out all the time, even for insignificant crimes. It's a great use of our hard earned tax dollars!

[mrs.cool]

That article CBX posted is from 3 years ago. I wonder if that organization is still in existence, and is still able to donate their time and helicopters. Interesting.
And, git, you're right, they really do need to control crime in that city. Last year at the State Fair a gang was roaming the grounds and the parking lot as well just randomly beating up people for the crime of being white. It was pretty scary. For the rest of the duration of the fair there was discussion about how to control the comings and goings of that crowd. A solution was never found.
They also had to take the carnival away from the world's largest music festival, Summerfest, a couple of years ago because of all the violence within it at night.

[gettinoutofjersey]

i guess there are a ways to look at it. waste of money or a valuable asset when needed. lets say your elderly parent wanders away, which i understand happens often or someone breaks into your house and shoots a family member and is on the run. does that warrant a helicopter? you cant expect a helicopter to sit and only fly on an emergency. nor can you only want a pilot to fly when he is needed, its like any other skill it needs to be practiced.

we used to fly our hueys west out of ft campbell to the first airport that sold coors when it was not available all over. waste of money? on the surface it is, but we still had to fulfill training hours and stay sharp. and we didnt drink any till se got back

[CBXBIKE]

The article was posted 3 yrs ago... I just wanted to point out they have air assets available. If you go to the website, it was updated 5 months ago.

AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition

[GG101]

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office financial statements don't break out the costs for different operations but I sure would like to know how much they are spending on these flight operations. As a pilot, I know the expenses for air support operations are tremendous. In today's economy I think air support is only justified in cases where the publics immediate safety is concerned. Searching for grow houses in the middle of the night does not fit this criteria. Where is the Herald Tribunes expose' on this waste?

[zmgriffith]

If any forum members happen to have a grow-house, uh... please send me a private message.

[GG101]

I moved down from Atlanta and lived in a suburb much like the south Sarasota area as far as population and demographics. Air support was only used in extreme cases. I'm all for its use in certain situations but not for general patrol or searching for grow houses. Helicopter flights in the Gulf Gate area, day and night, seem to be excessive and have to be outrageous cost wise. What I don't see near enough of is general patrol by mobile units in neighborhoods or badly needed traffic enforcement. Where I lived in ATL you thought real hard about speeding, reckless driving or even running a red light because traffic enforcement was the priority when not answering calls. It worked well in keeping down fatalities. I never read about so many tragic auto/motorcycle accidents on a daily basis until moving here. A little traffic enforcement would go a long way in reducing these fatalities, injuries and subsequently insurance rates in Florida.