ALEA Awards & Scholarships

ROBERT L. CORMIER AWARD

Senior Corporal/Chief Pilot Mark Ward - Dallas (TX) Police Helicopter Unit

This award This award, sponsored by Bell Helicopter Textron, identifies and recognizes an individual or individuals whose personal efforts or actions have perpetuated the professionalism and advancement of airborne law enforcement in public service. Senior Corporal/Chief Pilot Mark Ward is the worthy recipient of the 2011 Robert L. Cormier Award for lifetime achievement in the area of flight instruction.

Mark is a thirty-nine year member of the Dallas Police Department. In 1972, at the age of eighteen, he joined the Department as a Police Cadet. In March of 1975, he entered and, later that year, graduated the Dallas Police Academy. Mark’s Departmental assignments include Patrol, the Traffic Division, the Tactical Section (currently known as SWAT) and his present assignment in the Helicopter Unit.

Mark has always had a desire to learn to fly and become a pilot. In 1983, he began his flying lessons and earned his private fixed wing rating. A few years later, he submitted a transfer request to the Helicopter Unit, which at that time only required a fixed wing rating. After being accepted into the Helicopter Unit, Mark completed his private and commercial helicopter ratings. Shortly thereafter, he attained Unit Command Pilot status. Mark has always taken pride in his abilities not only as a pilot, but as a tactical flight officer.

Former Chief Pilot Harold Tidwell recognized Mark’s abilities early. Mark had approximately 500 hours of flight time when Tidwell recommended that Mark be made one of the Unit’s Certified Flight Instructors. After passing his CFI check ride, Mark began instructing new pilots assigned to the Unit as well as conducting recurrent training for other Command Pilots. For the past twenty-two years, Mark has been steadfast in his commitment to providing top notch flight and TFO training for the Unit.

In 2008, he was officially made the Unit’s Chief Pilot. He has overseen or personally trained approximately forty current and former unit pilots during his tenure as CFI. Mark has participated in and overseen the implementation of a standardized training program for pilots and tactical flight officers. This program has allowed for the objective and comprehensive evaluation of both new and current Unit members, which helps ensure a safe work environment for all Unit members. He also serves as a member of the Helicopter Unit Safety Review Board.

Mark transferred to the Helicopter Unit shortly after the tragic helicopter accident that killed Chief Pilot Chuck Taylor and Lieutenant Robert Cormier. Mark was indelibly affected by this incident and it has shaped his career and attitude towards safety and training. He is one of those flight instructors that genuinely wants his pilots to succeed and has a demeanor about him that makes a student want to do well. It is obvious that he feels personally vested in every pilot that he trains. Mark’s confidence has a way of rubbing off on his students. He has an ability to see and sense the capabilities of his students and tailor his training to their needs. He knows how to "nudge" them to excel without being overbearing. His professionalism, leadership, dedication, and commitment to excellence are lauded by both fellow employees and supervisors.

Mark is a long time member of ALEA and encourages all unit personnel to participate in ALEA, leading by example through his participation in the Central Region Safety Seminar every year.

CAPTAIN "GUS" CRAWFORD MEMORIAL AIR CREW OF THE YEAR AWARD

Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf and Deputy Pilot Steve Klett - Snohomish County (WA) Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue

Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf and Deputy Pilot Steve Klett - Snohomish County (WA) Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue This award, sponsored by American Eurocopter, identifies and recognizes a pilot and/or a crew member(s) whose flying efforts and professionalism epitomize ALEA’s motto, "To Serve and Protect from the Air." Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf and Deputy Pilot Steve Klett truly earned the 2011 Captain "Gus" Crawford Memorial Aircrew of the Year Award. But unlike many in the past who have received this award for their excellence in performance for a singular event, Bill and Steve’s efforts and professionalism were demonstrated multiple times during the eligibility period, making it difficult to pick just one. A few examples of critical missions conducted by Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf and Deputy Pilot Steve Klett are:

• 7/25/10 - Aircrew searched for missing BASE jumper on Baring Mountain. Located victim on the north face. Upon discovering victim’s location, CPD Quistorf located a rock outcropping that enabled a hoist insertion of two rescuers. The rescuers climbed their way on the mountainside to the victim’s location making the discovery that she was dead. Due to the proximity of the victim to the mountain face, it was not possible to fly the aircraft directly over the scene to affect the recovery. CPD Quistorf landed nearby and the mission options were discussed. CPD Quistorf planned a recovery in which rescuers attached an approximately 275’ short haul line to the victim, climbed with the opposite end of the line to the aforementioned rock outcropping, attached the line to a 150’ short-haul line attached to the helicopter while CPD Quistorf hovered over the rescuer. CPD Quistorf then flew the aircraft out from the mountainside and flew the victim off of the face, suspending her 425’ beneath the aircraft. CPD Quistorf then set the victim down at a nearby lake, enabling crews to load her into the aircraft for transport. This mission required a great deal of personal skills and aircrew coordination to safely accomplish. Missions of this nature under CPD Quistorf’s leadership develop the skills necessary to conduct medium- to high-risk rescues in the mountain environment.
• 7/27/10 - SAR and Fire responded to a report of a rappeller stuck on a ledge above the south fork of the Stillaguamish River just outside of Granite Falls. Fire requested a hoist rescue of the subject due to the steep terrain and fear of rock fall from above the subject. CPD Quistorf and his crew flew over the scene, locating the subject. The aircrew evaluation was that the mission was doable. CPD Quistorf maneuvered the aircraft overhead while successfully dealing with the tight confined space (rock face/trees). A successful hoist strop insertion/rescue was conducted. Fire publically expressed their appreciation for a well-done mission, commenting on the training and skills involved.
• 8/2/10-8/3/10 - 911 received a call from a base jumper on Baring Mountain at 8:00 pm with daylight ending. The BASE jumper had crashed into the north face at approximately 5000’ and was hanging from a small section of his parachute which was snagged on a flake of rock. CPD Quistorf, Pilot Klett and crew flew a night mission to the mountain where, using night vision goggles, they were able to locate the victim. CPD Quistorf identified the risks and reported that the crew was unable to affect a helicopter based rescue that night. The following morning, Mountain Rescue Units were able to raise the victim to the mountain top. CPD Quistorf, Pilot Klett and crew were able to hoist the victim from the top of the mountain. Although the subject sustained injuries, he declined aid. This is another good example of CPD Quistorf’s leadership in risk management, aircrew training and aviator skills, working in concert with the rest of the aircrew, to affect a successful mission without undue risk to subject and aircrew.
• 9/14/10-9/15/10 and 9/30/10 - CPD Quistorf was asked to assist in the recovery of a fallen climber in the N. Cascades National Park on Storm King Mountain at the 7700’ level. CPD Quistorf, Deputy Pilot Klett and the aircrew conducted an aerial reconnaissance, following which the initial risk analysis was updated. CPD Quistorf determined that the mission was reasonably safe and doable. CPD Quistorf then designed and developed a combination hoist insertion/extraction short-haul body recovery technique unique to helicopter SAR operations which minimizes risk to the crew. CPD Quistorf, Pilot Klett and crew rehearsed the mission prior to successfully conducting it on 9/15/10. An additional "dual-hoist/short-haul" body recovery was conducted at the 7500’ level of Pleiades Peaks on 9/30/2010.

TECHNICAL SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD

Aircraft Maintenance Technician Gary Bade – Washington State Patrol Aviation Section

This award, sponsored by American Eurocopter, identifies and recognizes an individual whose efforts or actions in maintaining or repairing aircraft (or aircraft parts, including avionics) operated by a law enforcement agency were performed in an extraordinary manner, above and beyond what is normally expected, and whose efforts have brought distinction upon themselves, their department, and ALEA. This criterion aptly describes the 2011 Technical Specialist of the Year Award winner, Mr. Gary Bade.

Gary has over 30 years of aviation maintenance experience, including 27 years with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Aviation Section. He earned his FAA Inspection Authorization (IA) in 1983, shortly before joining the WSP. His experience and knowledge of aviation maintenance, metal fabrication, avionics, FLIR, microwave downlink systems, and other law enforcement mission equipment has made him a valuable regional law enforcement aviation resource.

Nearly monthly, law enforcement agencies across the Pacific Northwest contact Mr. Bade to obtain installation guidance on FLIR, microwave downlink, LoJack, and other law enforcement mission equipment in their fleet. The most recent example occurred on April 16, 2010 when an aircrew from the Clackamas County (Oregon) Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit flew their Cessna 182 to the Olympia Airport, to pick Mr. Bade’s brain regarding a future LoJack installation.

Already a proven, highly talented King Air and Cessna 182 maintenance technician, Mr. Bade quickly became the lead installation technician when the Washington State Patrol began an aggressive law enforcement aerial equipment upgrade program in 2004. After receiving nearly $2 million in federal grant funding, the WSP purchased and equipped two Cessna 206 airplanes with FLIR System Ultra 8500FW stabilized cameras, BMS digital microwave downlink systems, AeroComputers GPS mapping systems (later upgraded to Augmented Reality System-ARS), satellite telephone/tracking system, LoJack stolen vehicle trackers, multiband FM radios, and Mobile Computer Network (MCN) data-uplink computers. In addition, these aircraft were equipped to safely conduct night tactical operations in highly congested metropolitan areas with Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS), Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS), and radar altimeters.

The upgrade project was completed 100% in-house, in several phases, over a six-year period. Mr. Bade was the lead technician during each phase and became the subject-matter-expert on installation of law enforcement aerial mission equipment. Often, Mr. Bade performed these installations with limited technical resources from the vendors since many of the installation manuals and procedures were not fully established.

Most of the upgrades/installations required field approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Seattle Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Mr. Bade took the lead in completing the FAA Form 337 (Major Repair and Alteration) and worked closely with the FSDO to ensure approval of the installation while maintaining the aircraft under FAR Part 91. Mr. Bade’s stellar reputation and strong working relationship with the Airworthiness Safety Inspectors proved instrumental in the prompt approval of all installations.

Several of the installations required Mr. Bade to design and fabricate metal consoles and specialized brackets that resulted in an innovative ergonomic design for the Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) crew station in the rear seat of the Cessna 206 airplane. This unique TFO crew station design was included in the January/February 2010 issue of Air Beat in an article titled, "WSP Operates Aircraft, Award-Winning Safety Program".

Despite the demands of taking the lead in these highly complex installations, Mr. Bade continued to perform his share of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance tasks on the agency’s two King Air B200 and five Cessna airplanes. In addition, Mr. Bade volunteered in 2004 to perform the additional duty of Aviation Maintenance Safety Officer for the section.

A highly proactive and successful maintenance safety officer, Mr. Bade is responsible for coordinating and facilitating monthly safety meetings and resolving safety issues. For example in 2009, Mr. Bade identified the potential for a catastrophic injury resulting when technicians inflate aircraft tires. He thoroughly researched the subject and located a tire cage designed to offer full protection for our technicians. Despite the cost, Mr. Bade successfully promoted the purchase of a high quality tire cage that exceeded industry standards and collaborated with management to fund the purchase.

To a large extent, Mr. Bade is directly responsible for the WSP’s award-winning aerial traffic enforcement programs. With an obvious passion for excellence, he took a lead role at every step: installing, troubleshooting, and maintaining highly complex law enforcement aerial mission equipment. Mr. Bade’s expertise in maintaining these aircraft and mission systems has resulted in nearly 4,000 accident-free flight hours annually in support of aerial traffic enforcement, pursuit management, traffic congestion management, criminal surveillance, counter drug, search and rescue, homeland security, natural disaster recovery, location of environmental hazards (oil slicks), and wildfire containment.

Mr. Bade has been recognized on numerous occasions for his instrumental role in the WSP’s aviation maintenance program, safety program, FLIR downlink infrastructure enhancement and aircraft upgrade projects. Mr. Bade’s contribution to the WSP’s aviation maintenance and safety programs and other aviation initiatives have been demonstrated and shared through executive briefings within his agency, to policy makers through our Governor’s Management and Accountability Program, and to citizens via the media.

SAFETY AWARD

Officer Officer Todd Jager – San Diego (CA) Police Air Support Unit

This award, sponsored by MD Helicopters, recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a longstanding and continuing dedication to airborne law enforcement safety. This dedication can be measured by documented achievements in the areas of, but not limited to, management, safety, education, and maintenance that significantly improved the safety of an airborne law enforcement unit or the airborne law enforcement industry. Officer Todd Jager, the 2011 Safety Award winner, personifies the dedication this award recognizes.

The San Diego Police Air Support Unit was created in 1987 and Todd Jager has been assigned to the unit as a pilot and tactical flight officer since 1994. In 1996 he voluntarily accepted the duties and responsibilities of Unit Safety Officer. Prior to that, the unit’s safety program was, essentially, non-existent. There was a Safety Officer in name only, but no functional program existed to evaluate, reduce or eliminate risk.

Todd attended the University of Southern California’s Aviation Safety School, and then created and/or implemented major changes to the unit’s operations, which significantly reduced the likelihood of injury or damage to personnel and equipment. The unit flies approximately 3,800 hours each year and to this day, no San Diego Police aircraft – helicopter or airplane – has ever been involved in any accident or incident. Todd Jager, and the safety program and culture he created, are largely responsible for that.

Some of Todd’s accomplishments are:

• The implementation of higher patrol altitudes to increase safety in the event of an in-flight emergency. This practice also significantly reduced noise complaints, and had the unexpected but welcome benefits of increasing tactical effectiveness.
• Todd established a reporting procedure to document any perceived unsafe condition or event. The reports are reviewed by appropriate personnel and decisions that affect safety are immediately made.
• Todd implemented and chairs the unit’s quarterly safety meetings, which include representatives from Safety, Training, Maintenance, Supervision and the Unit Commander. These regularly scheduled meetings enable policy decisions that affect the safety of personnel and equipment to be made immediately.
• Todd wrote the unit’s Safety Program Manual, which is now an integral part of the unit’s Operations Manual. It is a document that clearly defines safety practices within the unit.
• Todd created the unit’s Accident Plan, a process that took nearly a year to complete. In the event of an accident, this document would greatly simplify the process, and give important guidance to everyone involved in the incident. Having a plan to follow, in what would be an extremely stressful situation, is invaluable.

FIXED-WING PERATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Officer/Pilot Jeff Barbao and Officer/Flight Officer Jonathon Pierce – California Highway Patrol

This award, sponsored by GippsAero, identifies and recognizes a pilot and/or crewmember whose performance of their duties utilizing a fixed-wing aircraft has had a significant impact on the operation of their agency. The first-time winners of the Fixed-Wing Operator of the Year Award, Officer/Pilot Jeff Barbao and Officer /Flight Officer Jonathon Pierce, have set the bar high for future nominees.

Officers Barbao and Pierce have performed their duties utilizing a fixed-wing aircraft in a way that has had a significant impact on the way the CHP utilizes fixed-wing aircraft. They are assigned to the CHP Valley Division Air Operations Unit based in Auburn, California. There are two Cessna T206H airplanes assigned to the Valley Division base, one of which is equipped with a Wescam/L3 MX-15 camera that has infrared imaging capabilities. The Valley Division Unit covers an area approximately 160 miles long and 130 miles wide that includes the cities of Sacramento and Stockton as well as areas in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near South Lake Tahoe.

Officers Barbao and Pierce routinely work the nightshift together and have demonstrated an outstanding ability to utilize the fixed-wing aircraft to its maximum potential. In 2010, Barbao and Pierce flew approximately 600 hours and were responsible for the following aerial stats utilizing a fixed-wing aircraft: 148 arrests (both felony and misdemeanor); 1,852 assists; 995 enforcements from the air; 5 LoJack stolen vehicle finds; 15 pursuits; 7 DUI arrests; 4 arrests for shining a laser at an aircraft; and 237 allied agency assists. In most cases, the fixed-wing aircraft equipped with an MX-15 camera operated by Pierce and Barbao was directly responsible for locating the suspects. It is most likely the suspects would not have been located without the fixed-wing aircraft overhead. This high level of activity is impressive for a crew of any type of law enforcement aircraft.

On 4/17/10, Officers Barbao and Pierce monitored a call on the CHP radio of a shooting that just occurred, with the vehicle last seen westbound on Marconi Ave. in Sacramento. A CHP unit located the vehicle and Barbao and Pierce were overhead almost immediately. The CHP unit waited for assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff before making a vehicle stop. Once the Sheriff’s unit arrived, an enforcement stop was initiated. The vehicle pulled into a gas station and the two occupants fled on foot through a car dealership. The ground units lost sight of the shooting suspects, but Barbao and Pierce were able to call out the exact location of the suspects as they fled through the parking lot. The aircraft remained inconspicuous at an altitude of over 6,500 ft. and over 2 miles offset horizontally from the scene. As the suspects fled, one of them tossed a bag containing the guns used in the shooting. The guns were later recovered thanks to the exemplary operation of the aircraft and camera by Barbao and Pierce, which allowed them to see the gun toss. Officer Pierce continued to call out the location of the suspects as they hid in a dumpster. Officer Pierce then directed ground officers and deputies to the dumpster where the suspects were hiding. The suspects were apprehended and have since been tried and convicted. Incidentally, during the call, Officers Barbao and Pierce were hit with a laser. They located the laser suspect and he was arrested, also. This incident is indicative of the many arrests Barbao and Pierce were directly responsible for using fixed-wing aircraft in 2010.

It should be noted that Officers Barbao and Pierce have had a very large impact on both the local area in which they work by helping to take criminals off the street, and in a larger sense, the entire airborne law enforcement field by helping to prove that fixed-wing aircraft can be very effective for airborne law enforcement. They have shown that a fixed-wing aircraft can be used at night and at high altitudes to effectively locate suspects and do general law enforcement patrol. Barbao and Pierce have been instrumental in implementing the first MX-15 equipped airplane in the CHP fleet. As a result of the initial testing of the camera, additional cameras are being mounted on CHP fixed-wing aircraft.

Officers Barbao and Pierce have demonstrated an impressive level of professionalism reflected in the high level of activity generated by their use of a fixed-wing aircraft for law enforcement. While Officers Barbao and Pierce are being recognized for this award, credit is also due to the entire CHP Valley Division Air Operations Unit where Barbao and Pierce are assigned. In 2010, the Valley Division Unit utilized the MX-15 equipped airplane to locate 261 felony suspects and 121 misdemeanor suspects, who were taken into custody. Additionally, the MX-15 equipped aircraft was utilized for the following: 113 pursuits; 1,997 enforcement actions; 6,211 CHP assists; 2,948 allied agency assists; 1,555 photo missions; 1,101 infrared missions; 841 searches; and 658 back-up calls. These stats were obtained utilizing one MX-15 equipped fixed-wing aircraft. The hard work and dedication of the air crews of the Valley Division Air Operations Unit is clearly reflected in the high level of activity they have generated.  

TACTICAL FLIGHT OFFICER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Deputy Joe VanGorder – Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit

This award, sponsored by Axsys Technologies / General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, identifies and recognizes the flight crewmember serving as a Tactical Flight Officer whose performance in the operation of tactical equipment and/or coordination of ground-based assets was exemplary and resulted in the successful conclusion of a call or mission. This award, also in its inaugural year, was deservedly bestowed upon Deputy Joe VanGorder.

Rather than for a single event that occurred during the award eligibility period, Deputy VanGorder was nominated for the TFO of the Year Award for his exemplary performance and attitude that he exhibits every day. Deputy VanGorder has been in the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit for two years. Joe came to the unit with no aviation background and less than four years as a law enforcement officer. He quickly learned the job of a TFO and began to very actively utilize the FLIR/color camera to make drug cases in high crime areas. When Crime Analysis asked Aviation to conduct directed patrol of churches due to a rash of burglaries, Joe found both an open door at one church and an individual loitering at another utilizing the FLIR camera. Both finds occurred on the same night and the churches were a mile apart.

Joe manages each scene he works in a controlled and professional manner, and many patrol personnel have remarked how glad they are to hear him check 10-8 on the radio. Within a few months of being assigned to the unit, his performance was at such a level that the unit Lead TFO selected Joe to assist with training new TFOs. Joe also showed an interest in becoming a pilot and, at his own expense, began flight training and earned his Commercial Rotorcraft Certificate. In December of 2010, he was appointed as a unit pilot. His becoming a pilot has benefited the unit greatly as we recently lost one pilot to retirement and another to military deployment.

Deputy VanGorder is also a member of the SWAT team, and has facilitated and instructed training with SWAT and Aviation particularly in the area of airborne use of force. Joe has designed and built some special equipment racks for the aircraft as well. Joe always volunteers to help out with any special projects we may have, and completes them quickly and efficiently. It is a privilege to have him as a member of the Aviation Unit.