The Oakland County Sheriff's Aviation Unit started on June 5, 2001 as the latest addition to the crime fighting arsenal.
Now comprised of two state of the art helicopters, the Aviation Unit was made possible through the privatization of the Oakland County Jail’s food service (saving $1.6 million a year) with no additional costs to the taxpayer.
The Aviation Unit is available to every Oakland County police department 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The first helicopter purchased, named Air One, was operational less than a month when the first capture with the help of the helicopter occurred. Since then, the Unit has assisted several area departments with everything from larceny to aggravated rape.
The helicopters are invaluable in assisting in emergency situations, including:
Eliminating the need for dangerous police car chases
Searching for missing children and Alzheimer patient walk aways
Conducting building searches
Crowd control
In addition, the helicopters assist the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Marine Division and Dive Rescue Team with search and rescue operations, as well as assisting the Special Response Team (SRT) with tactical operations.
One helicopter in the air can cover as much territory (more quickly) as 12 officers in patrol cars on the ground.
Special equipment on the helicopters include forward-looking infrared units (FLIR) that can detect heat sources in total darkness, and a 30 million candle power remote spot light called Night Sun because of its ability to illuminate a pitch-dark area as if it was high noon on a summer day.
The Aviation Unit is one of the most technologically advanced and efficient law enforcement tools. In an era when homeland security concerns are paramount to law enforcement and Oakland County residents alike, the Unit is an extremely invaluable asset.
Facts on Oakland County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit helicopters:
Make: Eurocopter—French made, assembled in Texas.
Model; Astar 350 B2
Engine: Single turbine, 745 horsepower
Seating: Six, useful load capacity 4961 pounds
Maximum Speed: 155 knots, 178 mph
Maximum Altitude: 19,000 ft.
Maximum fuel: 143 gallons
Flight Time: 3.5 hours with full fuel
Length: 42.5 ft.
Rotor Diameter: 35 ft.
Tail Rotor: 6 ft.
Equipped with:
30 million candlepower Night Sun remote spotlight
Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) Thermal Imaging system camera/recorder
Color video system
Computerized street mapping, tracking, display
Lojac-stolen vehicle recovery system
Global Positioning System with integrated moving map display, lightning strike weather avoidance system and aircraft collision avoidance system
BMS microwave video downlink system
UHF/VHF radio system provides communication with police, fire, EMS and all other emergency services.
VHF low band provides communication with military, Coast Guard, Marine and other Governmental Agencies
