The USA is the home of Police Aviation – in terms of scale and history – but I’ll be darned if I can understand it. Can anyone help with some insight?
With the increasing emphasis on ‘Homeland Security’, US Law Enforcement is becoming increasingly complex, involving a host of federal agencies, as well as local services at State, County and City level.
There seems to be no single model at the local level – and the organisation of law enforcement differs from state to state, such that State Troopers from one state may not know how the neighbouring state’s police forces are organised.
1) There are Federal agencies that work ‘country-wide’ – many of them with their own air departments. Some in this list have aircraft and helicopters, some don’t. Can anyone confirm which don’t, or add any that do?
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – ATF
Central Intelligence Agency – CIA
Customs Service
Department of Homeland Security popular
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation – FBI
Federal Emergency Management Agency – FEMA
NSA
US Border Patrol
United States Marshals Service
United States Secret Service (USSS)
2) There are some notionally Federal agencies that actually have a more localised ‘remit’
United States Park Police
US Capitol Police
US Virgin Islands Police
At State level there may be State Troopers and/or State Police, and even Highway Patrols. What’s the difference? Then you have County Police and/or Sheriff’s Departments. Again, what’s the difference? All can have aircraft, but there is a vast difference in size – with some units having a single helicopter, and others operating multiple examples of several types. Hours flown differ markedly – Delaware flying 350 hours annually, Virginia more than 3,800.
These units perform a wide variety of functions, including SAR and EMS, as well as more traditional ‘Police Support’ duties. Increasingly, units are flying Homeland Security missions.
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March 28, 2008 at 4:30 pm