The program began operations April 4th, 2012 to keep
costs down during challenging economic times and enhance
law enforcement capabilities with a highly visible set of eyes
from the sky. The program relies heavily on contributions from
each agency in order to thrive. The Fontana Police Department
provides the helicopters, tactical flight officers and operational
costs. The City of Colton provides funding to contribute to the
operational expenses and Rialto provides tactical flight officers
for the flights. The Redlands Police Department joined The
Fontana Regional Air Support Unit in September 2012 with the
addition of their Cessna 172 airplane. The airplane is used for
patrol, surveillance and special events. “Through the sharing of
aviation resources, we are able to provide better police services
to our respective cities, utilize a cost-efficient aviation asset to
increase crime fighting capabilities, expand coverage of aviation
patrols, and enhance officer safety,” said Redlands Police Commander Shawn Ryan. “The citizens of all cities are reaping the
benefits of these shared resources.”
The Fontana Regional Air Support Unit started with one
R44 helicopter provided by the City of Fontana. The unit welcomed the newest addition, a R66 helicopter in the summer of
2014, bringing the program total to two R66 helicopters, one R44
helicopter and the Cessna airplane. The helicopters are equipped
with state-of-the art technology to facilitate the officer’s ability
to respond to calls or service from above. The helicopters have
police radios, powerful searchlights, forward looking infrared
(FLIR) cameras, GPS mapping, PA/siren, computers, Lo-Jack
and radios for both communication and navigation. The helicopters can cruise at 144 mph. The best part is the helicopters have
been paid for by drug forfeiture money. This money is taken
from local drug dealers, a portion of which is returned to the
local law enforcement agency specifically for use in narcotics-related law enforcement purposes.
THE FONTANA REGIONAL AIR SUPPORT UNIT:
• rovides widespread ability to monitor and respond to calls/activity.
P
• mproves safety to police officers.
I
• educes vehicle theft, robbery, burglary and assaults.
R
• educes the number, and duration of police pursuits.
R
• educes the number of hours spent conducting searches for
R
suspects, missing persons, and other related calls.
• ncreases the level of protection.
I
• educes police response time to emergency and “in-progress calls.”
R
• rovides valuable support to city staff during major disasters.
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The Redlands Police Department Air Support Unit first took
flight in 2007 with a specially outfitted Cessna 172 airplane. The
airplane was a less expensive alternative to purchasing a helicopter. The Redlands Police Department staffs their plane almost
entirely with community volunteers. Thirty-eight volunteer pilots
and co-pilots, and one full-time sworn tactical flight officer, and
ten other sworn officers, who act as tactical flight officers on parttime bases, make up the unit. The Redlands Police Department
Cessna operates one 10-hour shift per day, five days a week. The
airplane flies approximately 1,150 flight-hours per year.
A regionalized helicopter program is an effective way to enhance public safety since crime has no borders. The presence of
a helicopter and airplane help to deter crime from ever happening. The helicopters are currently flying five days a weeks, but
will start flying seven days a week in 2015. The air support is a
valuable asset to assist in high-speed pursuits, observation, air
patrol and control of large- scale public events.
The ASU hangar operates out of the Guardian facility of
the southwest portion of the Ontario International Airport. The
Fontana Police Department is looking to build their own hanger
for the aircraft in the future. The unit’s advantage of quicker response times has resulted in the recovery of illegal drugs, stolen
property, and the arrest of hundreds of suspects since it started
in 2012. The Fontana Regional Air Support Unit is a win-win
partnership for the agencies involved and the entire region. ■
2,420
58%
Total calls the unit has
responded to since the
program’s inception on April
4, 2012 to August 15, 2014
27%
11%
4%
OR
OR
OR
OR
FONTANA
CALLS
RIALTO
CALLS
1,393 649
270
COLTON
CALLS
108
REDLANDS
CALLS
FALL 2014 | California Police Chief
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