Staffed, Trained, Equipped — and Busy


As the county population has grown and the call volume has increased over the years, so has the number of personnel and aircraft required to meet demand. Currently it takes a team of 30 personnel to keep the aviation unit operational. That includes approximately 26 pilots and tactical flight officers (both full-time and part-time) and four full-time aircraft mechanics. In a 24-hour day, there will be a couple of eight-person squads on shift providing aerial support coverage for the county and surrounding areas.


The 1,000-square-mile service area has four helicopters and one fixed-winged aircraft (nicknamed “Chase,” as in Chase 1, 2, 3, etc.) to support the amount and variety of missions that OCSO responds to 24/7/365. In addition to routine patrol, the unit may be called to respond to felony crimes in progress, to pursuit assists, to locate missing persons, and to a variety of other types of law enforcement-related work. Chief TFO Jason Sams characterizes the unit by saying, “We are strictly a law enforcement operation flying daily, either looking for bad guys, chasing bad guys, finding missing people, and helping out the officers on the streets.”


52


May/June 2023


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