Helicopters may fly at low altitudes for a variety of reasons like medical evacuations, firefighting, traffic reporting, search and rescue operations, law enforcement, and training exercises. Why do I see or hear helicopters flying low? Here are some frequently asked questions about helicopter activity in your local area: What type of helicopters operate in my area?Ĭommon types include medical evacuation helicopters, news helicopters, air tours, and police helicopters. Contact a location near you for products or services. The helicopter activity locations can help with all your needs. "The audit's findings strongly suggest that the LAPD's current use of helicopters causes significant harm to the community without meaningful or reliable assessment of the benefits it may or may not deliver," Mejia's office said in a statement.Īs to the environmental impact that the helicopter program causes, the controller's office says that they burn approximately 761,000 gallons of fuel annually - 47.6 gallons per hour - in turn releasing 7,427 metric tons of carbon dioxide in that time frame.Find a helicopter activity near you today. The total translates to more than $2,900 per flight hour. The city operates their helicopter fleet on a nearly "continuous basis" as there are typically two helicopters flying for 20 hours every day of the year, logging an average of 16,000 hours of flight time per year. The department reportedly doesn't have a formal contract with a flight log application vendor, with the report pointing to ethical and legal concerns presented by this issue. Mejia's audit also disclosed that there has been no comprehensive external audit of the program since its inception, meaning the monitoring of the ASD's performance, inefficiencies and data reliability issues have gone unchecked to date. LAPD helicopters are also said to spend a "disproportionate" amount of time flying in certain communities when compared to other areas. It also found that there is limited oversight or monitoring of the division, its policies and practices and whether the program is in line with the city's safety needs.Īdditional findings in the audit disclosed that LAPD's helicopter program costs more money than 14 city departments' annual budgets and that 61% of the flight time was in fact dedicated to low-priority incidents like transportation, general patrols and ceremonial flights - like a fly-by at a local golf tournament, roundtrip transportation of high-ranking LAPD officers between stations and passenger shuttle flights for a "Chili Fly-In." On average, the city spent an average of $46.6 million on the program, the audit disclosed. The department has 17 helicopters and over 90 employees. Overall, it was determined that the program spends just over 60% of flight time on incidents considered to be "low-priority," costing nearly $50 million annually to taxpayers, according to data analyzed between 20.Īdditionally, the report delved into whether the department has "justified the need for the program's current size and scope," a statement from the controller's office said. It was conducted in response to a number of calls from the community, as well as several organizations that requested more information on the program, costs and performance of the helicopters. The audit, which was the first-ever directed at LAPD's helicopter program, the Air Support Division, was led by City Controller Kenneth Mejia and his staff. New report raises questions about LAPD's use of helicopters 03:02Īn audit conducted by the Los Angeles City Controller's Office revealed a number of facts on the Los Angeles Police Department's use of helicopters, reporting that the frequency "causes significant harm to the community."
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