Three OH-58Cs Available At No Charge

A newly formed nonprofit group, The Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition, have will soon have three helicopters available to law enforcement agencies in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

The group has taken possession of three OH-58C helicopters donated by the US military, said Winthrop Harbor, IL Police Chief Joel Brumlik. The helicopters will be equipped with advanced infrared imaging equipment, spotlights, night vision goggles and street-level mapping systems, according to Wisconsin's The Journal Times.

The coalition was born from a helicopter program at the Winthrop Harbor Police Department in Illinois. Since 2003, Winthrop Harbor has provided access to helicopter time that was donated to the department and will remain the coordinating and dispatching agency.

There's no charge to police or fire agencies requesting and using LEAC's services. All personnel involved, including the police officer pilots, are volunteers, Brumlik said. LEAC will accept tax-deductible donations for associated maintenance and equipment costs.

The helos will go by 'Air-One' with at least one based at Kenosha's airport. One is currently in service and the others two are being refurbished.

Law enforcement dispatchers are aware they may periodically receive calls reporting low-flying aircraft with a powerful spotlight. Air-One is equipped with a 40-million-candlepower searchlight, capable of illuminating a target a mile away.

Those reports may start as early as this week when the helicopter conducts training exercises throughout the Racine, Kenosha and Walworth region Wednesday and Thursday. More training is scheduled in the coming weeks.

Training covers use of such equipment as the forward-looking infrared camera system that captures thermal images.

"This FLIR is so sensitive, you can see a mouse running through a field," Brumlik said.

The FLIR system is not only useful to law enforcement in locating suspects, but can also assist firefighters in tracking hot spots and determining safety issues in a burning building.

Winthrop Harbor Police Department Cmdr. Dan Britton said the helicopter will be involved in felony-related car chases if requested, but finding missing people plays a bigger role in the LEAC's mission.

Although the previous helicopter available from the Withrop Harbor Police Department didn't have FLIR, a high vantage point is invaluable in searches, Brumlik said. Three fishermen, close to death, were pulled from Lake Michigan two seasons ago, he said.

"It's going to be a life-saving tool, to be honest with you," Brumlik said. "It has already demonstrated it will save lives. All you have to do is talk to the fishermen."

FMI: www.airsupport.org/