Use of Aircraft in Traffic Enforcement
Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters are increasingly being used for traffic
enforcement. Aircraft equipped with time/distance measur-ing devices are an
especially effective means of dealing with serious moving traffic violations,
especially on the interstate highway system. Helicopters are particularly
useful in monitoring pursuits and preventing the escape of pursued vehicles, as
well as hovering over and illuminating the scenes of nighttime felony traffic
stops and conducting surveillances involving drug couriers. All types of
aircraft are useful in managing congestion at highway crash scenes and special
events.
Speed Enforcement
A “Bear in the Air” can easily apprehend frequent and habitual
speeders who rely on radar or LIDAR detectors and citizens' band radios to
escape detection, as well as many other types of violations, such as driving
while intoxicated, improper passing, and following too closely. By timing the
progress of a vehicle between measured points marked along the highway, the
computed speed is the violator's average speed over a distance of a quarter
mile or more, whereas radar gives more of an instantaneous measurement of speed
at a given point. Thus, a driver caught by an aerial/ground team can hardly
claim that he briefly speeded only to pass another vehicle or dodge an
obstruction in the road. Statistics show that a combined air/ground team can enforce traffic laws more efficiently than ground units alone, consume less fuel, and provide increased
productivity per hour of patrol.
Controlling Public Reaction
When an agency begins using airborne enforcement, it can avoid a negative
public reaction by inviting the media to witness enforcement activities. If
careful statistics are kept on all activities to guard against claims that
expensive aircraft are primarily used to ferry dignitaries around, and if
strict guidelines are established as to who can ride in the planes and for what
purposes, complaints can be averted. Judges, key legislators, and news media
representatives should be invited to observe a routine mission for themselves.
Statistics will reveal that the typical speed of violators cited is far in
excess of what the average citizen would consider reasonable. In fact, the
aircraft will usually prove to be most effective in apprehending flagrant
violators, including those traveling at nearly triple-digit speeds. By reducing
high-speed pursuits, these apprehensions are accomplished with maximum
consideration for the safety of other road users. Finally, aircraft can be
instrumental in hunting for escaped prisoners, spotting forest fires,
delivering emergency blood supplies to distant hospitals, and marijuana
eradication activities. The press and the public need to be made aware of these
potential benefits.
Legal Authority
The mission statement of the aircraft unit should contain legal authority for
all flight operations including transportation. Most police agencies possess
the authority to conduct aerial operations when directly related to a law
enforcement function; however, they may lack authority for other operations
such as executive transportation. Many agencies are mandated to provide
security as well as transportation for governors, mayors, and other officials,
and that mandate gives them legal authority to utilize law enforce-ment
aircraft.
Organizational Structure
Most law enforcement aviation divisions are managed by command staff
officers who have aviation experience because when managing a fleet of aircraft
and crew members requires making decisions specific to aviation and federal
regulations. These decisions may be based on knowledge of requirements for
licensing, training, flight experience, aircraft maintenance, and inspection
intervals. An aviation manager must also possess the experience necessary to make
decisions regarding specific flight requests, with consider-ation given to
suitability of aircraft, runways, weather, and other related data.
Equipment Selection
The majority of law enforcement support missions can be accomp-lished with
light, fixed-wing aircraft. Such aircraft can fly at reduced air speeds safely
and efficiently for long periods of time, and are far more fuel and maintenance
efficient than rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters). Should a mission require
vertical take-off and landing or the ability to hover, then rotary-wing
aircraft are the only option. Fixed-wing aircraft are used almost exclusively
for highway enforcement activities. They are fuel efficient and far less
fatiguing on crew members than helicopters, and can be utilized for a variety
of missions including photography and transportation. Generally, high-wing
aircraft are chosen for these purposes, as the crew has an unrestricted view of
the ground when flying at low altitudes. Mission requirements will generally dictate equipment
selection; however, multi-engine turbo-prop aircraft are preferred for most short to medium-length missions. Their jet engines offer high reliability and improved take-off
performance over reciprocating engines, and their pressurized cabins and
de-icing equipment provide all-weather capability. Light, reciprocating
twin-engine aircraft are generally a poor selection for multi-person
transportation because they do not possess the above capabilities. Aircraft
selection is best accomplished through the use of industry
consultants, who can provide a wide range of data to aid in your decision
process.
Personnel Selection
Commissioned law enforcement officers tend to be effective crew members because
their missions routinely require decisions and actions consistent with accepted
law enforcement practices. It is generally more effective to train an
experienced police officer as a crew member than to train an aviation
professional to think and act as a police officer. Most law enforcement
agencies have a pool of police officers who have flight experience from which
to select crew members.
Maintenance
Aviation departments with one or two light, fixed-wing aircraft may prefer to
have their maintenance contracted by a local vendor, while those with
helicopters, turbo-props, or multiple fixed-wing aircraft will more effectively
provide their own in-house maintenance. The Alaska Division of State Troopers
is an example of an agency that requires an in-house maintenance capability.
The vast area that the troopers patrol makes the use of aircraft an everyday
necessity, and their maintenance crews are capable of tearing down a plane to
the basic airframe and completely overhauling it. All maintenance personnel
should possess the required federal licenses and receive training for each
aircraft they service, even though these may not be federal requirements. When
considering the purchase of the first aircraft, an agency should research the
ongoing costs—such as the requirement to rebuild an aircraft after a given
number of hours of operation—and make sure an adequate operating budget is
requested.
Contracted Maintenance Services
Agencies with one or two light fixed-wing aircraft may wish to contract with a
vendor for maintenance. This contract should provide for 24-hour call-out,
record keeping, FAA or federal document preparation, appropriate logbook
entries, and parts procurement.
Transportation Activities
All transportation activities should be directly related to a police function
or be mandated by specific laws such as the “requirement to provide
transportation for governors,” to avoid criticism of misuse. While
aircraft are a necessary and efficient means of transportation, they are, at
times, viewed by the public as extrava-gant if utilized for unnecessary
transportation. All flights—most importantly all transportation
flights—should be recorded on an individual flight sheet with all
pertinent data such as destination, crew, flight times, and authorization.
Training
All crew members should receive scheduled flight training that includes an
initial instruction course and an annual refresher program for each aircraft
flown. Industry standards for complex aircraft crews call for full-motion
simulator training for initial courses, as well as annual refresher programs
for complex aircraft.
The complexity of the national airspace system, more critical insurance
industry standards, and increasingly complex aircraft require higher training
standards. Progressive managers realize that safety is paramount to program longevity, and
those agencies that incur accidents historically have not continued to support
aviation programs. A strong training program cannot be overemphasized.
Operations Manual
Each aircraft enforcement unit should have an operations manual detailing
conduct for all operations, from flights to aircraft maintenance. Contents
should include job descriptions, division orders, flight operations, aircraft
maintenance, health, and safety.
Operational Costs
To provide a basis for reimbursement, as well as future budget planning,
operating costs per hour should be computed for each aircraft flown. Many
agencies make their aircraft available to other governmental agencies on a
reimbursement basis, a practice which helps offset operating costs.
Exempt Operations
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations in the United States provide
for certain government aircraft to operate outside of federal requirements for
airworthiness, registration, licensing, and some maintenance standards if
declared “public use aircraft.” While there may appear to be
advantages in doing so, this provi-sion should be used with caution as it can
result in degradation of standards.
Insurance
Many government agencies are self-insured and do not purchase additional
insurance for their aviation operations. They may feel protected, but should
liabilities arise, generally there is no provision
to replace damaged equipment. This results in the governmental entities having
to re-appropriate funding to cover losses—funding which is sometimes
difficult to achieve. Additional or excess insurance for equipment and
passengers, therefore, is strongly recommended.
PART FOUR
Allocation, Deployment and Evaluation of Traffic Personnel
The Police Allocation Manual
How many officers do you need for your patrol function? Most chiefs
