(Maricopa County)

Air Support

The Phoenix Police Department's Air Support Unit has
traditionally embraced "Patrol Support" as its primary
mission. This means that the unit is there to help those
officers in patrol cars out on the street to do their
job more effectively. This mission has the aircraft
responding directly to the needs of the individual
citizen that calls 911. The police helicopters have
not only provided a police presence over a crime scene
in two minutes or less, but have also drastically reduced
the city's exposure to liability in various police incidents.
In addition to being an aerial platform for officers,
the aircraft can actually take over certain situations,
such as vehicular pursuits, allowing officers on the ground
to keep a safe distance. This ability to have an aircraft
follow speeding vehicles keeps patrol officers from endangering
citizens by driving at unsafe speeds to apprehend suspects.
This technique saves lives and reduces city liability. The
police helicopter allows the officers onboard to scan an area
much greater in size than any ground officer ever could,
thus covering a tremendous area.

The Air Support Unit has proven itself to be a highly
skilled and diverse team. The mission of the Unit has
grown to include Search and Rescue work as well as fire
fighting responsibilities. Pilots are continually being
assessed to determine how their skills are progressing
and what further training they may be qualified for.