ALEA’s E-Newsletter is designed to help keep you informed on the very latest information in the airborne law enforcement industry. The E-Newsletter may also be read online here at our website.

FAA Approves Use of UAVs for Border Protection

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will patrol the Texas 1,200-mile border with Mexico and its coastal areas beginning September 1, 2010. Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the surveillance aircraft to combat drug cartels and human trafficking in Texas after determining the remotely operated aircraft posed no significant safety concerns to heavy air traffic in the state.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched its domestic UAV program in 2005 to support law enforcement in policing illegal cross-border activity, but none of the six Predator B drones conducted operations in Texas until June. Because Texas accounts for most of the nation’s 1,954-mile border with Mexico, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar said getting the unmanned aircraft into the state’s skies is critical to any border security strategy.

CBP began flying a remotely piloted aircraft based in Arizona over a portion of West Texas earlier this month after waiting since 2008 for approval. The certificate of authorization approved by the FAA last month will allow CBP to proceed with plans to start operating the unmanned aircraft in September from the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. More than $37 million to support two new UAVs was included in President Barack Obama’s request for $600 million to secure the Southwest border and fight drug trafficking.

Source: www.themonitor.com

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Oil Spill: Aerial footage of Pensacola Beach

The BP oil spill has hammered the fishing and tourism industries along the Gulf of Mexico. Aerial video footage taken by personnel aboard an Escambia County (FL) Sheriff's Office helicopter helps to illustrate the extent of the oil and tar that blanketed Pensacola Beach last month. Watch the video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fqu3beMcIw.

Source: www.pnj.com

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Teenager Gets Fined For Laser Attack

Police leaders in Scotland were upset last month after a teenager who aimed a laser pen at a police helicopter escaped with a £500 fine after a guilty plea. The 19-year-old had been warned he might face jail for the potentially lethal stunt. Police Federation General Secretary Calum Steele said, "Any attack on a police officer is a serious matter and should be treated so by the courts. Because we did not see the reports, we will never know why he was not given a prison term."

Superintendent Gordon Barr, Operational Support Division, said, "Shining laser pens at any vehicle, never mind a police helicopter, is incredibly dangerous and totally unacceptable. Doing this could cause a serious accident and cost people their lives. We have had far too many incidents involving laser pens. Our message is clear; use them inappropriately and you will be arrested."

The Civil Aviation Authority said the laser assault problem has rapidly spread over the past two years, from 29 cases in 2007 to more than 500 last year.

Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk  

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Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team Recognized

The 2010 Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards, which recognizes excellence in the dangerous technical rescue discipline of swift water and flood rescue, were presented in May. The Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (MDHART), which consists of the Baltimore County (MD) Police Department Aviation Division, Baltimore County (MD) Fire Department Special Operations Division and the Maryland Army National Guard, were honored.

MDHART training started with pilot extrication drills, equipment loading, victim capture devices, dunker training and swim requirements, then progressed to airborne hoist drills beginning with empty field insertions/extractions and then to aircraft to roof drills, aircraft to trees, aircraft to drill tower and aircraft to car exercises. After a final swim test and dunker training, personnel conducted in-water and short haul system training. It took approximately two years of planning and training before the MDHART became fully operational. Training continues with quarterly aviation training as well as annual recertification on the dunker, HEEDS, victim contact and device drills.

Source: www.higginsandlangley.org 

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Mexican Government Completes NVG Training

Mexico State Government Air Rescue Unit (MSGARU) conducts countless search and rescue missions in the mountainous terrain of Mexico in their Agusta A119 Koala annually. In mid-2009, MSGARU added night vision goggles to enhance safety and their capability to complete these life-saving missions after dark. With a large number of pilots within their organization, the ability to internally train their personnel on the use of NVGs was needed.

Night Flight Concepts provided the Mexico State Government Air Rescue Unit with their initial NVG pilot qualification course in 2009 followed most recently with NVG Instructor Pilot Qualification in May 2010. The comprehensive NVG instructor-training package included ground training, introduction to fundamentals of instruction, as well as 10 hours of train-the-trainer techniques specific to an NVG curriculum.
NFC company President Adam Aldous commented, “We're extremely proud to have provided NVG instructor pilot training to the Mexico State Government. We work hard to achieve the confidence of our customers and strive to provide the best NVG training the industry has to offer.”

Source: Night Flight Concepts

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SMS Important for Small Operators

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said last month that small aircraft operators need to have safety management systems (SMS) in place. He said, “I’m confident that SMS will really make a difference [in reducing aviation accidents]. I know there are those who complain that they’re too small for SMS. Or that it’s too costly. Or that they don’t have time.” He went on to say, “No one and no company is too small for SMS. The cost of SMS is far less than the cost of an accident. Saying that you don’t have time for SMS is the functional equivalent of saying that you don’t have time for safety.”

Download the ALEA SMS Toolkit here: www.alea.org/assets/cms/files/safety/SMS-Toolkit.pdf.

Source: www.rotor.com 
 

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Ever Wondered How A Light Sport Aircraft Could Help Your Missions?

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently honored the Guilford County (NC) Sheriff’s Office as a “flagship agency” for the use of its small aircraft in law enforcement. The department’s 2006 model Sky Arrow 600 Sport plane is used to conduct drug searches and locate missing persons, among other uses. Maintenance for the plane is paid with federal drug forfeiture funds. ALEA has asked the Guilford County (NC) Sheriff’s Office to speak at the Association’s conference in Tucson, AZ (July 16) on the agency’s use of low-cost, light sport aircraft in police missions.

Cpl. Greg Russell, who headed the department’s successful effort to obtain a light sport aircraft said, “I do think our story can benefit other agencies who are interested in starting a lower cost and highly beneficial air support unit for their agencies and, more importantly, their communities.”

Guilford Sheriff BJ Barnes said residents have benefited from the department’s use of the plane, which went airborne in March 2009. “Our plane has enabled us to make better drug cases, to identify and follow suspects who have committed or are about to commit crimes," Barnes said. "It’s a tool that has made a difference in Guilford County.”

Source: www.news-record.com

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LA County Upgrades Fleet

The Los Angeles County (CA) Sheriff's Department received approval last month to buy as many as 14 new helicopters at a cost of about $56.7 million. Twelve AS350 helicopters will replace older aircraft that the department says are getting increasingly expensive to repair and have outlived their "optimal life span'' of 7,000 flight hours or seven years of service.

The department says it needs 14 of the flyers to keep a minimum of 10 airworthy at any time, given downtime for maintenance. Each of the aircraft costs about $2 million, including taxes. But it will take another $2.1 million more to outfit each bird for use by sheriff's deputies.

About $40.5 million of the equipment cost is expected to come from bond financing and the department expects to raise another $16.2 million by selling the helicopters they are retiring. The replacement plan does not include retiring the department's venerable fleet of three Sikorsky Sea King choppers that date from the 1960s and are used for mountain rescue missions. Those helicopters have been kept in airworthy condition by the department because they can be used at high altitudes or in rough weather.

Source: www.scpr.org/news

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Take The Survey: Weather Technology in the Cockpit

The Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, is the Federal Aviation Administration’s transformation of the radar-based air traffic control system of today to a satellite-based system of the future. One of the necessary first steps in implementing NextGen is to determine what its users need. The University of North Dakota (UND), in conjunction with the University of Alaska and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, is working on a research project to determine what pilots’ needs are in the cockpit for weather, including how to implement and educate pilots on the use of such technology.

This project is called Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC). UND is tasked with determining what the specific needs of pilots are and then drafting a user needs statement. Opinions of pilots throughout the country are needed. If you are interested in assisting in this project, please complete the user needs survey by going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DPYFMRB. Your responses will not be linked back to you; it is completely anonymous.

For more information, please contact Leslie Martin, Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota at lmartin@aero.und.edu. 

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Survival Systems Earns Safety Award

The New England Helicopter Council selected Survival Systems USA for their 2010 Safety Award last month. The award recognizes individuals and groups for excellence in rotorcraft aviation safety and service.

Since 1999, Survival Systems USA has offered training in underwater and surface water survival, along with numerous other safety courses. The firm has trained in excess of 80,000 people, and it currently operates seven training centers worldwide. The company is an ALEA Corporate Member and provides training to members during each of ALEA’s regional safety seminars.

Source: www.theday.com

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Pilot Charged With Using Police Aircraft Inappropriately

A civilian pilot with the North District of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is facing several Manitoba Wildlife Act charges after using an RCMP aircraft to hunt for caribou while on duty. The 40-year-old pilot was charged on June 16 after an internal investigation by the RCMP concluded. The charges involve using an aircraft to search for caribou, hunting without a license and failing to notch tag. In two of three incidents, the pilot was on duty and used RCMP aircraft.

Source: http://winnipeg.ctv.ca

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Teens Point Laser At Helicopter

Two teenage boys, 12 and 15, repeatedly pointed a laser at a San Diego County (CA) Sheriff's Office helicopter last month. Deputies on the ground, working on directions provided by the helicopter crew, were able to track the boys down. Under questioning, the boys admitted pointing a laser at the helicopter on at least 20 occasions while they were in the area hunting rabbits with a bow.

Source: www.10news.com

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China Uses UAV To Spot Opium Fields

China used unmanned aircraft last month to track down illegal poppy crops being grown in the suburbs around its capital. The month-long anti-drug campaign was called "Eagle Eye 10". Police used unmanned drones for the first time, along with helicopters, to search out opium fields in Beijing and surrounding areas.

Authorities did not release specifics on how much opium is being cultivated in those areas. However, Chinese police arrested 2,138 people and seized more than 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of unspecified illegal drugs from January through April 2010. The "skycam" drones, mounted with a camera capable of capturing high-resolution photographs, can fly as high as 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) and were tested several times.

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This newsletter is published monthly by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), a public benefit, non-profit California corporation. The ALEA is comprised of air crew and air support personnel in law enforcement and others who support, promote, and advance the safe and effective use of aircraft by law enforcement agencies.

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