Multi-Role Missions


Tight government budgets mean that “more and more law enforcement agencies are being treated as shared or regional assets,” says an MD Helicopters’ spokesperson. “Often, LE agencies are tasked to work with other public safety and even national/defense agencies to provide search and rescue, surveillance, medical transport, firefighting, disaster relief support and more.”


CWO Shane Engelauf knows what the MD spokesperson is referring to. Engelauf is chief pilot with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Air Support Unit in Punta Gorda, Florida. Thanks to resource sharing among the agencies within his jurisdiction, Engelauf’s missions have expanded beyond police work to encompass firefighting, rescue, air ambulance, and even mosquito spraying on behalf of Charlotte County.


“I really think there’s a trend towards multi-mission platforms,” Engelauf says. “Due to the scarcity of budgets, the days of police helicopters only flying left- hand orbits and being the eye in the sky are over. If your government can afford to put a helicopter in the air, it has to be able to do law enforcement, firefighting, rescue, and anything else you need.”


A Leonardo Helicopters spokesperson agreed. “The demand for multi-role helicopters is growing. Law enforcement customers want helicopters capable of more operations, which can allow the overall size of their fleet to be smaller and therefore more economical.” The spokesperson cited the Travis County government in Texas as another example. It’s using Leonardo AW169s for patient transport, search and rescue, law enforcement and firefighting missions.


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May/June 2020


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