APD Annual Reports - 2016 Annual Report | Page 42

Operations Support Division - Aviation Unit

• The Aviation Unit is comprised of a program manager , team leader and 13 pilots .
• The department has Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly small , battery-operated , remotely-controlled helicopters .
• Primary uses include helping find missing persons , assist commanders with intelligence from active scenes , clear major traffic crashes , assess damage in the event of natural disasters , and assist with crime scene investigation .
The Aviation Unit is utilized to support patrol and investigative units in the field . Arlington PD was one of the first organizations given authorization by the FAA to operate small unmanned aerial systems ( sUAS ) within the national airspace , in 2012 . Since then , the department has established specific procedures for when and how unmanned helicopters can be used . Upon request from the field , all flights are pre-approved by the program manager , or team leader . The department is bound by laws governing citizens ' privacy , and must operate only within a defined incident perimeter .
Arlington PD is routinely consulted as a subject matter expert on these topics and sUAS systems . Arlington PD was sought to publish an article in a popular law enforcement periodical about how to start and manage a sUAS program .
In the summer of 2016 , the FAA changed regulations for Arlington PD , making it easier for the organization to expand its pilot cadre . In late 2016 , the Aviation Unit hosted a flight school and added nine new pilots to the program bringing the total personnel to 13 pilots . The additional capacity provides more departmental flexibility in quickly responding to emerging threats . The pilots are collateral duty pilots . They come from many segments within the department including patrol , SWAT , detectives , and traffic units .
Deployments in 2016 consisted of assisting with suspect searches , missing persons , and documenting crime scenes .

42

Annual Report 2016